


Nier: Returner-Story of Lars

by KaZe0100



Category: Drag-On Dragoon | Drakengard, NieR: Automata (Video Game), Nier Gestalt | Nier, Tekken
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Friendship, Love, Multi, OVA's (Basically), Original Cannon, Other, Post-War, Robosexual Protag (again), Sibling Love, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2019-11-18 23:31:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 67,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18127964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaZe0100/pseuds/KaZe0100
Summary: These are the events that happened throughout Lars' life. I suggest you read "Nier: Returner" before you begin this little collection of short stories. But, anyhow, I hope you enjoy.(Reading "Nier: Returner" may help these stories make more sense)Enjoy!





	1. The Great War of Zero Earth

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is more about the war that happened.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a few days have passed since the Allied Forces arrived at the new world. While Lars must help White with setting relationships up with the humans, 2B, 9S, A2, Devola, Popola, Adam, and Eve go to the home of Lars' old family friend. Their goal, to find out his friends, and the war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lars is only present in the first part and the last few parts of the chapter. Just a heads up.  
> This also takes place before that time skip in the mains story. This chapter takes care of the war and the history of those Lars calls his family.  
> Oh yeah, it still takes place back in 2017 (When I started the first prototype of the story, which is gone.)  
> And another thing, everything in this chapter is of my own cannon, I'm not trying to offend anyone.

Everyone was cheering. Lars looked at at the Earth, but remembered one thing. The people of Earth would not be ready for such an automatic change, things would have to be set straight, that is, if humans were still alive. He hoped that it wasn't too late. "Check the date." he said quickly. An operator bought up the date on a screen, it was set to adapt to the date on the new world. It was July ninth, twenty-seventeen. "It's only been a week since I left this world? But it was four months back in the other world." said he.

"The dimensions' times are all distorted from each other." said Adam, "Four months in that world, only a week here. For all we know, one of the alternate versions of you could have a year be a day here in this world. After all, it's not like humans are supposed to travel from dimension to dimension."

"Oh..." said Lars, "Then that means that the humans should still be alive."

Suddenly, a call came in from the surface. "...this is... of the... gdom... identified vessels, state...." The static was quite apparent. 

"Clear up the signal. We need to be able to talk." said the Commander. 

The operators did as they were told. "I repeat: This is the Minister Druid of the North American Kingdom. Unidentified vessels, state your affiliation, and goals. If you proceed into the atmosphere, we will defend ourselves."

"North American Kingdom?" asked A2.

"The countries of the world just became a single nation after the war... The seven continents are now all separate nations." said Lars. "Well, are you ready?" he asked White.

"Yes, let the talks begin." said she. "This is the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, my name is White."

"Allied Forces?" asked the person on the other side of the comms. "Explain yourself!"

"We hail from another world. Many of us are androids, military models made to serve humans."

"That's absurd! And how are we supposed to believe that?" 

"Turn on your video communications." Suddenly, the screen of the Bunker lit up with a middle aged man on it. He was sure dressed like a leader, on Earth's side, they saw the androids, all standing together. "As you can see, we are YoRHa, we were built as a way to combat the machine lifeforms that invaded Earth. In our own universe humans had to flee to the moon in order to survive the onslaught."

"How do you know about the multi-verse. That's highly classified information."

"I believe I can explain that." said Lars suddenly. White stepped back and let Lars take the show.

"Who are you, boy?" asked the Minister.

"I am Field Commander Lars Alexandersson of YoRHa. Born in Universe Zero ,in other words, I hail from this dimension."

"You know that how?! You better explain or I _will_ have you attacked!"

"I was sucked into that world, Minister. That world's humanity was destroyed so I bought them here to help. I know that the government is on the verge of falling apart. And if that happens, then the world will once again fall into chaos. The other nations will be involved, and humanity will come to an end. You must believe me, I bought these people to help."

Everyone heard murmuring on the other side. The Minister seemed to calm himself, "So, you know so much. It would seem that you really do hail from this world." he sighed, "Tell me, what makes you think that these 'androids' can help?"

"Not just androids. In that world, we fought a war against sentient machines and artificial humans, code named 'Jinzo'. Many of them defected and after the war ended, I bought everyone here in order to help my home world."

"Androids and artificial humans.It sounds absurd, but I suppose it would make more sense in another universe altogether. But, these androids are just machines aren't they?"

"Not just machines. They're more human than you think. They've learned how to feel emotion, how to find happiness, feel sad, become humans in their own rights. But at their very core, still wish to help you guys."

The Minister scratched his chin. "You're sure they won't turn against us?" White could tell from his tone, he was starting to consider accepting their help.

"Yes, I'm sure of it. As long as I don't give them a reason to, I'm sure they won't. Minister, you need all the help you can get. Please, I'm asking you, accept the help. Not just for the world, but for your people as well."

Minister Druid thought about it for a while. "You have a way with your words, boy. Very well, I accept your help." Everyone looked quite ecstatic, "On one condition." everyone looked at the screen, "You, White, is that right?"

"What is it?" she asked.

"You will take position as the Minister of North America, my life is almost at an end. When I served, I was hit with a curse. So I will need you to lead, I can read you. A natural leader. Will you do it?" White thought about it for a bit. 

"I do, I will lead the nation in your place." she responded, "If humanity needs me, then I will do whatever I must."

"And one more question, for the boy." he pointed at Lars through the screen.

"What is it?"

"You said your last name was 'Alexandersson'?" Lars nodded, "Would you by chance be related to, Rachel Alexandersson? The Commander of the third mage battalion?"

"That would be my mother, sir." responded Lars.

"You have her eyes." said the Minister, "And you also seem to have her charisma, I knew her well. A trusted soldier, and a good one. I will clear things up with the government, I will give you clearance soon." The screen shut off. The moment it did, everyone cheered, and Lars knew things were going to get better from that day forward.

"Lars." said White. Lars looked back.

"Your mother, she was a Commander?" 

"Yeah, she even kinda looked like you, except her eyes were blue and she was a bit shorter. How tall are you?"

"Six feet, three."

"Yep, she was only five nine."

"Well then, you still need a guardian."

"Huh?"

"I'm adopting you, silly. I told you that you've become a son to me a while back, you even called me 'mom'. So? How about it?"

"Yeah." said Lars, "I'd like that." he added with a smile.

"For someone with such gray morality, you have such a bright smile." said she. Something rare found plastered on her face. A genuine smile, one of happiness, "Though I somehow doubt that we'd be spending much time together, you still have school don't you?"

"But, I'm a Commander of YoRHa."

"Silly boy, complete your last four years, then we'll see."

"Okay..." sighed Lars.

"We already sound like a debating family." she chuckled.

Everyone near them laughed upon hearing that, and the screen came back. "Your ships may come down." said a man on the screen.

"Thank you." said Lars, the screen shut off "All forces, begin descent."

 

*A few days later*

 

2B, A2, 9S, Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola walked down the streets of San Gabriel. They looked around at the populated street, it was summer, and people were walking around, kids played in their yards but stopped when they saw the seven of them. People gave them strange looks, and whispered something about them being androids. "Refresh my memory why Lars couldn't come along?" asked 9S as they kept walking.

"He said he had to take care reclaiming his old property and finding a place for all of us, I think somewhere near the place that helps with modeling windows and doors. The houses are all connected and can house four families, perfect for the eight of us he said. Plus, there's a wall." said A2.

"Why not go back to his hometown?" asked 2B.

"Said he wanted to be closer to his friends this time, any who, here we are." said she. They were at a rather large house surrounded by trees near the country club. The small flower garden in front was quite impressive. They went up to the porch and rang the doorbell, then they waited.

"Alert: Footsteps detected, there is someone approaching." said Pod-042.

The door opened up and a man came out. He was rather tall with a heavy build, he had silvery-white hair, with light blue eyes, but overall a very big and burly man. The man wore a white shirt and normal shorts. He was also accompanied by a floating book. "Can I help you?" he asked, his voice was gruff and deep, definitely a hardened man.

"Are you Nier?" asked Popola.

"Who's asking?"

"Be weary, I sense that these people may be up to no good." said the book. It spoke, the voice of a rather sarcastic sounding Englishman. Everyone was shocked, just how could a book float and talk?

"A floating, talking book." said Eve, "That's kinda cool."

"How dare you?! I am the Great Grimoire Weiss, and I am an arcane text of absolute power, not some lowly textbook!"

"Easy, Weiss." said the man, "Yeah, I'm Nier, who're you people?"

"We're friends of Lars." said A2. The moment she said that, Nier's eyes widened.

"Lars? He's alive? Where is he?" he asked at once.

"That's a name we haven't heard in quite a while." said Weiss, "Nier, we should invite them inside. They may know his whereabouts."

"Weren't you saying they might be up to no good just now?"

"You fool! That was before they said that they were acquainted with the boy. I just read their minds, they aren't lying at all! They know his whereabouts."

Nier said nothing back to the book, he just looked at the seven androids. "Well, come on in I guess." he said as he gestured them inside. They all walked and looked about the house, it was quite large. 

"Do you live alone?" asked 9S.

"No, I have two daughters and a son. One of the daughters is adopted and so is the son. I had a wife, too. Pay attention on the  _had_." he responded. Suddenly they passed a glass case, with a cloaked skeleton inside. The head seemed very familiar to most of the group.

"Emil?" asked 2B.

"Oh?" asked Nier, "So you know him?"

"What's he doing here? I thought he was-"

"That's his other body." explained Nier, "He's the adopted son I bought up. How did you know that was him?"

"Lars filled some of us in. The other two, Yonah and Kainé, right?" she asked.

"So, he told you everything, huh?" he smiled a bit and led them to the living room. "Make yourselves at home. Hang on a sec, would you." he took something out of his pocket. It was like a rectangle he pressed a button and a screen lit up. 

"What might that be?" asked Adam. 

"It's a phone. You never seen one?"

"No, we're from another world."

"Did you see that, Weiss?"

Weiss stammered for a bit, "No!" he said angrily, "There's only so much I can do about reading minds, especially an android's mind."

Nier looked a bit surprised, "So, you're the androids. You've helped a lot." He pressed something on his phone and put it to his ear. Suddenly, he spoke, and a voice on the other side could be heard, "Kainé, start coming home. Tell Yonah and Emil that some friends of Lars are here." they heard someone ask about Lars on the other side, "Yeah, he's alive. Come home and see them." he pressed something and then bought up the screen again, "Zero, come over, like now. I have people you're gonna want to see, they know where Lars is." Someone shouted and immediately hang up.

"So, what was that all about?" asked 9S.

"Oh, I'm asking his friends and his sister to come over."

"Zero? Lars' sister right?" asked A2.

"Wow, he really told you a lot, didn't he? So, you obviously came over knowing so much already, what can I do?" he asked as he sat down.

"Actually, we're here to learn more about the war and Lars himself. He told us to go to you since he knows that you know so much about him and his family." said 2B, "Let's start, you were his father's childhood friend?" asked she.

" _Friend_?" asked Nier with a laugh. "Lucas was more of a brother than a friend, neither one of us had siblings, so we only had each other. We spent our childhood in Solvang, California. Running around in the forests and having the time of or lives. But, when college came around, I left to go to join the military, and he left to Santa Barbara. I met and introduced him to Rachel, his future wife. I already fell in love with Jenni, so I thought I'd do something for a friend. He loved martial arts as much as she did, plus, they were like Yin and Yang, so they practically fell in love immediately."

"Anyway, since we're waiting for the others, I'll tell you guys about Lars, only if you tell me what your connections are. Deal?"

"Deal." said 2B. "My name is 2B, YoRHa unit 2, type: Battler. I'm one of his friends, and..." she hesitated, the others looked and nodded, "Admittedly, the one who... cut of his arm..." 

"Wait, what?!"

"I can explain, we thought he was an enemy android. But, turns out he was human. Anyway, I'm 9S, YoRHa unit 9, type: Scanner. I'm his another one of his friends." said 9S. Nier calmed down upon hearing that.

Next was Adam,"I am Adam. I am the person who took Lars into our world. At first, he resented me and my brother, judging we experimented on him. But, now, we're his friends. Eve, would you introduce yourself?"

"Yeah, I'm Eve. Adam's brother, I kinda took Lars' memories, sorry about that, Mr. Nier."

"Nier, is just fine. And it's fine." said he through gritted teeth. 

"I'm Devola, back on that world, my sister and I took care of Lars. Helped with his healing, food, and straightening his room. We would occasionally help him fight."

"I'm Popola. Devola's sister, she basically summed it all up." said she, "We were built with the capability to use magic. Specifically, darkness."

"So, you two are basically female android versions of me. Fascinating." said Grimoire Weiss, "And you, dear?" he looked at A2.

"I'm A2. YoRHa unit: 2, type: Attacker." she responded, "I'm also his lover." 

"Huh, so he stopped being shy. I'm assuming you're all soldiers?"

"Basically." said 9S.

"Does that mean that Lars is also one?"

"A commander. He commands the field troops. But the Commander has authority over him."

"So he's doing well. Just like his mother." he looked over at the door. "She's awfully late." said he.

Then, the door burst open. "I'm here!" a woman shouted. She had a skirt and socks that went up to her knees. She wore shoes that resembled heels. She had a white shirt on and a leather jacket over it. Just her left sleeve was missing, instead of a normal arm, she had a mechanical arm that was rather monstrous. She was like Lars. Her white hair was long, much like A2's. Except there was a ribbon on thee top of her head. But the most distinguishing feature was where her right eye is supposed to be. Instead, there was a white flower with a pink center blooming.

"I came as fast as I could. Sorry, I'm late, I was in a photo shoot. So? Where is my brother?" she asked impatiently.

"Calm down Zero, I'm gonna need your help telling these people about him."

"Don't worry, he said he'll drop by everything as soon as he's done with everything." said A2.

"Then call me when he's here, dammit." said she. She began to leave but A2 called her.

"You're Zero, right? Lars' adoptive sister?" asked she.

"Who're you?" 

"I'm his lover, I was hoping you could tell us more about him and yourself."

Zero froze up a bit. "You sure he'll be here?"

"Positive." 

"Guess, it can't be helped. I'm pleased to meet his girlfriend." she shook A2's hand and sat down. "I'll start with myself first. I was born in 1998, making me nineteen, about thirty years after magic users started coming back into the world. I was born to a mother that didn't even want me, so she sold me off to an underground brothel in the woods when I was just a baby for drinking money. She also probably thought I was a freak, this flower and all, it means that I'm immortal, I stopped aging when I turned eighteen, when the flower bloomed. Anyway, in the brothel, I was treated as a freak, only people with weird fetishes wanted me. It's how I got my name, Zero. When I was nine, me and other kids ran. The other kids got shot dead, but I managed to escape with a bullet in my left arm. I had to literally rip it off by force to stop infection. I found myself walking for days, I was lost in the woods until two people found me."

"That's awful. Why would she do that? To her own daughter?" asked Popola.

"Beats me, my guess, I'm a bastard kid. That, or I was a freak to her. Anyway, those two people adopted me. They were none other than Lucas and Rachel. They took me to their home, bathed me, fed me, even offered to get me regeneration treatment. I ended turning it down, seriously, those treatments are expensive. But the thing that had the most value to me, was when they introduced me to this little four-year-old named Lars. I loved him so much, he was and still is my baby-brother. I spent five years with them until I had to go to high school. So I was sent over here to San-Gabriel, I went to Grabrielino, and I never went to college. So I became a model and a singer. My voice was always good, my three magic traits? Sound, healing, and immortality. But, then the war started, I would visit dad and Lars every now and then in Solvang when I could, Mikhail made that easy."

"Mikhail? The 2nd lieutenant?" asked 9S.

"I don't have a a clue who you're talking about. The Mikhail I'm talking about is outside. He's my dragon, made friends with him over here when I first came to San Gabriel, though 'friend' is kinda stretching it. Moving on, when I found out that mom died from Nier, I tried to go to dad, but I found out that he died, too. And my brother was no where to be found. I was heart-broken but still tried to search for Lars, the only family I have left. But, he was missing, not even a trace of him was around. I put every ounce of strength into my search, but still paid for the funeral at the same time. Lars was gone for a week, which brings us here today. So, anyone here responsible for him going missing?" 

"That would be me." said Adam, "You may hit me..."

"I wasn't going to do that. I just want to know why."

"After he ran from his home, he was a broken boy. I thought one I could surely kill him and no one would know, so I took him to study. I even tortured him a bit. But, along the way, I had a change of heart. Me and my brother, so we helped him back." he bowed, so did Eve, "Our deepest apologies."

Zero sighed, "It's alright." said she. The door opened up and three more people walked in. The tallest was a woman her hair being grayish white and being tied into a ring on the right side whilst the other side was left hanging down. A flower was in her hair, and her eyes were a deep purple. She wore a tank-top and exercise shorts, bandages and a glove covered her left arm and part of her left upper-body. The younger girl next to her had to be around Lars' age. She had fairly long hair, that was also white. She wore a t-shirt with a skirt, she also had a book-bag, her eyes a deep grey. Finally, there was a boy, also had a book bag. He wore a t-shirt with shorts as well, his hair being somewhat gold and his eyes, a pale purple.

"Hi, dad." said the girl, "Who're these people?"

"They're Lars' friends." said Nier. "Everyone, this is my daughter, Yonah." 

"Lars? He's alive?" she asked suddenly. The boy looked quite shocked as well.

"Kainé didn't tell you?" asked Nier.

"No, I decided to keep a secret 'till they got home." said Kainé. 

"Anyway, introduce yourselves. They're friendly."

"My name is Yonah." said the girl first. "I'm the daughter of Nier, and Lars' childhood friend. And I'm a Natural."

"Name's Kainé, adopted daughter."

"And I'm Emil. I'm also a friend."

"Why don't tell them about yourselves, Kainé, Emil." said Nier, "They were kind enough to tell us about them."

"Fine, I'll just speak for the both of us." sighed Kainé, "I'm twenty-two, and Emil here is thirteen, my magic traits, ranged lightning, darkness, and ranged black hole. Emil has, transfer, laser, and petrification, but he gets more powerful in his other body. I'm a hermaphrodite, got both male and female parts if you know what I mean. Anyway, I was born back in 1995, and was an outcast because of my body, my parents died when I was a baby, so I was taken care of by my grandma. But, one day, when I was ten, a few bandits came in and killed her, being a kid, I ran as far away as I could. Along the way, I found an abandoned baby."

"Which turned out to me." Emil added happily.

"Emil, don't cut me off. But yeah, I basically took him with me, as a travel companion. I told him not to cry too much, or I'd leave him." she chuckled, "Didn't work, and I never left him." Emil chuckled a bit. "It was only me and Emil for a whole year. When I was eleven, I was found by, Nier."

"He adopted us." said Emil, "We haven't forgotten it since."

"Yeah, that's basically our story." finished Kainé. "Is that all?"

"No, we still have to learn about the war." said 2B.

"Well, alright. Here goes." Nier took a deep breath. "It all started in the spring of 2011. When The Union was formed. It was comprised of the countries that fought together in many past wars and by the current allies of the U.S, the U.S, France, Canada, England, Japan, South Korea, the Middle East, you name it. After that was formed, big countries that weren't exactly fond of the nations of the Union banded together to form the Revolutionary Alliance, Russia, China, North Korea, many countries of Africa, and even some other European countries that didn't like the way The Union was doing things."

"But I read countries banded together into alliances in the past. That usually never caused a war to start, so how is that the start of it?" asked 9S.

"Well, let me continue, as I'm sure you know, magic began to be more and more prominent in the military. Magical creatures re-emerged, close combat were favored by the military, magic was at an all time high. But still, a lot of the military of all countries were comprised of Naturals. Guns were obsolete, but that doesn't mean they weren't used. Nukes weren't used anymore, in their place, monstrosities made by science and magic. The war really started when the Union sent a Japanese pilot to investigate a North Korean base. Needless to say, what he saw there where the cyclops. North Korea was made a whole lot stronger by it's allies. The pilot opened fire."

"But why?" asked 2B. The androids seemed quite shocked upon hearing this.

Nier shrugged, "No one knows, some say he was mind controlled, or he was a mad man. But he was shot down, and word spread like wildfire that The Union were 'warmongers'. So it started with the invasion of India and South Korea Asia. India faced invasion of a Chinese force armed with cyclops and almost one million people. India was overrun because no one knew how to take down the cyclops other than blasting it with dragonic flames, magic, and guns, God knows that took forever. Most of them didn't make it, from that day, it was known as the 'Genocide of India'. The Union and the Revolutionary Alliance had started the third World War. Most of South Korea's inhabitants managed to evacuate along with their soldiers. After that, in Europe, Revolutionary forces began to advance through Europe. Russia swung around and took down Norway and Sweden first, countries that tried to stay neutral."

"Finland's defenses were tight. But The Union also lost Denmark. It was around this time that Lars' mother's battalion was sent in, me included. Since I was a Natural with high potential, I was a candidate for the 'Berserker Program'. After the training, I was able to take down entire squadrons alone. Me and two other soldiers were given minimal armor and a Grimoire, it's how I got Weiss. Anyway, when we landed in Europe, it was already really serious. The U.S' forces were deployed to Germany. The Russians were completely ruthless, they killed practically every soldier they saw, not even giving them a chance for surrender. That was one year into the war."

"Eventually, we pulled back from Germany. It fell to Russia. But after that, it was a stale mate for two whole years. Most of the fighting took place in the Middle East, Central Europe and Asia. Until finally, Revolutionary forces managed to slip past United Kingdom defenses and make it to New York. The first invasion the U.S faced in years, in such a densely populated place too. More than half our reserves were sent to fight, reinforcements from Canada. Needless to say, about four million civilians were killed by Revolutionary forces. The U.S closed the borders to other countries, telling the troops to drive them off or they couldn't go back."

"But why? You guys were they're troops right? Wasn't that basically abandoning them?" said Eve.

"Kind of, but, I haven't a clue how the government works. All I can say is that a lot of the soldiers sent in were killed. But the result? The Union's first major victory in the war. We showed our allies that we could indeed beat the Alliance back. It was three years into the war, Japan's counter-attack plan began. They, along with the relocated South Korean forces took back South Korea. It was also around that time the 'Middle East Glassing' happened. See, I said that a lot of the fighting took place in the Middle East, well, most of the population was dead and a lot of soldiers on the Union's side were also dead. So, the troops were ordered to pull back, and the Union ordered the best magical bombs produced. The following explosions was said to have turned sand into glass, and the Middle East was completely gone, along with much of the African military. That basically took Africa right out of the war. The African forces in Europe had to retreat to protect their homeland."

"After one more year, in 2016, the Revolutionary Alliance was running low on man power and resources. The Union had claimed much of it's nations back, but still lost so much man power and resources. Both armies were running on fumes at that point. Both were drafting anyone they could, which is why you see so many kids working these days. Anyway, the Union planned one last attack, a final assault, fight our way to the capitals of Russia, China, and North Korea, the main players of the Imperial Alliance. Rachel and I were part of the force to take Pyongyang. It was a success, but Rachel didn't make it. I held her as she died." A2 clenched her fist, she knew who had done it. But she didn't say anything.

"But we pushed on and eventually, arrested their leader. The same happened with China and Russia, except at that point, the Union had lost about eighty-six percent of their entire army. Same with the Revolutionaries, but, they finally surrendered. After five bitter years, on July second, 2017, the war ended. Three billion people dead, both soldiers and civilians. We were all sent home, a lot can happen in a week, because the continents of the world agreed to dissolve the Union and Revolutionary Alliance to form the Seven Kingdoms of Earth and the Council of Humanity. After I got back to California, I went to Lucas first, soon after hearing the news, he died. I also found out my wife died of illness in the middle of the war. My kids were left all alone, but they were safe. Then Lars dissapeared, why did he run? From his home."  

"Didn't the government go to his house to collect money?" asked A2.

"Is that what he believes?" asked Zero. "They were sent to take him to San Gabriel. His stuff still belongs to his family, so they've been keeping it safe, Nier made sure of that. Mom was a Commander, so of course a contingency plan was made to get Lars to Nier should he ever been orphaned."

"He must have taken it the wrong way." said 2B, "Please, continue."

"Yes, so the war was over. But the North American Kingdom had a lot of squabbles and a civil war almost started. It's a good thing you lot came through. Otherwise, another war may have enveloped the world." said Weiss.

"Glad to have helped. We were made to serve humans, but they were all killed in our original world. Since we moved here, we finally can follow what we were meant to do again." said Popola with a smile.

"But we do hear some people who want us out." said Devola, "What's with that?"

"They're afraid." said Yonah, "Outsiders coming in and taking control, it's pretty scary. Like if you guys have an ulterior motive, but don't worry, those people are usually ridiculed and called idiots for wanting to cast out people who saves us." 

"That's relaxing to know." responded Devola. "Thanks for telling us."

"Now that that's over with, you guys want to hear more about Lars, right?" asked Zero.

"Yes, please." said 9S and A2 at once.

"Well, to start off, he was a bullied kid, believe it or now. He didn't have many friends either. Just me, Kainé, Yonah, Emil, Nier, and Jenni. He doesn't have any cousins or aunts and uncles, and his grandparents also died in the duration of the war. Anyway, he has a condition, can't grow hair anywhere else on his body other than his head, so he was bullied for that. So to compensate, he built his body. Might or might not be healthy, but I supported him. After he beat one down, the others stayed as far away as they could." Zero chuckled.

"But, despite being the quiet and lonely kid, he always got back up no matter how many times he was knocked down. He's the toughest guy I know, and I just can't wait to see him again."

Suddenly a knock on the door surprised everyone. The sun had set outside, "Who could that be?" asked Nier. He stood up and everyone walked over to the door. As he opened i, his eyes widened. 

"Hello, Nier." said the person standing at the door. His YoRHa long-coat moving a bit from the soft summer breeze, is metallic arm shining in the moon light. His smile bright as ever, it was none other than Lars. 

"L-Lars?" asked Nier.

"Is that really you?" said a shocked Kainé.

"Ah, so he  _is_ alive." said Weiss.

"You're alive..." said a tearful Yonah.

"You've come back..." Emil added, also tearing up.

Zero didn't say anything, she just stared. Everyone waited for her to speak up. "Hey, sis." said Lars finally. He removed his arm, "Now we're even more alike." he said with a grin.

"Stupid jerk..." said Zero on the verge of tears, "Your left arm..." but she stopped, "Finally, she looked up, tears in her eyes on full display, "I've missed you, so much..." she gave Lars a great big hug. 

"I'm home." said Lars. "I'm home..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you've made it to the end of this chapter. I do hope you enjoy the rest.  
> The Minister wasn't so hard to get through because he knew that they needed all the help they could get.  
> Oh yeah, Commander's taller than she was in the actual game, just like 2B and A2 are also taller in this little cannon of mine.  
> Zero Earth refers to what universe they're in. Universe Zero, the first one.  
> Revolutionary Alliance cyclops look like ones from Drakengard/ Drag-on Dragoon.  
> It's my birthday today!  
> Edit: March 23, instead of ten years after magic came back in 1988, it came back in 1968.  
> Edit: April 20, I changed Zero's ice magic to a healing factor.


	2. A Rather Normal Summer, No?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now, Lars is adjusting back to his normal life. He still has summer vacation ahead of him, just how will he spend it? It might not all be filled with fun and games, he still has to face the grim reality of his world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna try and make this what I consider a good summer.  
> Also, this takes place, before the one month time skip, well, at least 'til the end.

"So, this place is one structure, but has four homes. It's all within these walls too, we have a place for hanging clothes, the long yard can also be a farm, a garage, and we have an apple tree, a lemon tree, a lime tree, and an orange tree." said Lars. He was showing them around the home he had arranged. "Nier and Zero helped me clear things up, so everything was moved from my old place to this new place." he added.

"But, why the move? You could've lived back at your old home. Why move to here?" asked 9S.

"Well, I guess this is kinda symbolism. Leaving my old life behind and starting a new one..." he turned around to look at all of them. "Together, with all of you."

Devola and Popola let out a smile. 2B and 9S nodded with grins, A2 smiled normally, and Adam and Eve nodded happily.

"Well, you guys can go pick your places. Pick whichever you want. Each of them has a kitchen and dining room mixed together, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a living room."

"2B, which one do you want?" asked 9S.

"You pick, I'm not good with these kind of things." she responded.

"Oh, come on! Just pick one, I can't decide."

"Alright fine." she responded. She swiftly took one look around and then pointed at the one with a lime tree. "This one." 

"It's decided." announced 9S, "This one is ours!" he turned to Lars, "I guess furnishing is up to us?"

"Kinda, I had a lot of furniture, so I thought I'd put some in the places you guys are gonna pick. " responded Lars.

"Oh, how wonderful." said Popola. She turned towards her sister, "Let's pick a place, Devola." 

"Hmmmmm." Devola looked around, "How about that one?" she pointed at the one down the path. The one with an orange tree.

"Perfect." said Adam. "That leaves us with the one with the apple tree." 

"It seems fine to me, brother." added Eve, "I like it."

"I already picked the one with the lemon tree." Lars looked over to the one nearest to the wall's gate and the back yard. "Guess today for you guys will be furnishing and working on the layout of your new homes. Call me if you need my help." He gave everyone the keys to their homes and through the gates. Lars then walked into his new home and A2 followed him.

"Nice place." said she, "I almost forgot to mention something."

"What is it?" asked Lars.

"Most of the YoRHa and Resistance soldiers got bio-mass fuel generators, including me. We can basically eat anything without dying anymore, don't have to, but eating would still be beneficial." Lars seemed happy to hear this, "And one more thing, I was wondering why everyone is allowed to stay here with you."

"Oh, I told mom that I would like you guys to be on a break until I finish up school. Basically, a vacation for you guys before you have to go back to the military. I mean, mom became the Minister of the Kingdom and the military's state is back up to being good with the Allied Forces' help. We have all the soldiers we need, plus, you guys  _did_ help me take down the other versions of me, decisive victories."

"That makes sense. In any case, I'm glad you did." A2 added, "We can finally experience life away from fighting. At least for a while."

Lars smiled, "Well, we have time to kill. Do you want to play a game?"

"A game?"  

"Well, yeah. I have this device called a PS4 Pro, it's a video game console." Lars pointed at a box-like device, "Games are something humans do for recreational purposes. I got this a while ago, but it's still in top-condition. I also got a few two-player ones. But, I never got the chance to really play with anyone. Me, not having many friends."

"Well, I'd like to try." said A2. 

"What would you like to play?" asked Lars. "Tekken? King of Fighters? Don't Starve? You pick."

"Tekken, but what is it?"

"It's a fighting game, c'mon, I'll show you how to play."

*Moments later*

Lars was playing, well... Lars. "Funny thing about this guy, is that I have the same name as him. Even have purple lighting like him. Hell, my moves are like his. Zero says if he actually exists in another universe, he's probably that universe's version of me." 

"I can definitely see the resemblance." responded A2. "I'm getting pretty good at this." she began a combo and beat Lars. "Boom. That's how it's done. Wanna stop?"

"Yeah." responded Lars. He rubbed his eyes a bit. "Don't think I had that much fun in a while." He looked at the clock. "Tomorrow, Zero said she'll take us four clothe and phone shopping. Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola will be going off on their own. You ready?" 

"Can't wait." A2 responded.

"I'll get dinner started then. I'm cooking again, hopefully, not too rusty."

"Mind if I watch?"

"Not at all."

*Later*

"That was delicious. My body feels fine, and I tasted all fo it." stated A2. 

"I'm glad you like it. Never knew I could make baked salmon with breadcrumbs so good." Lars remarked. "Would you look at the time. The others should be finished now." Lars and A2 went outside. They saw the others talking outside, Kainé was there.

"Oh, Lars." said Adam, "We finished furnishing a while back. Kainé here is dropping off some clothes for you three." he looked at 2B, 9S, and A2.

"These clothes should get you started so you don't get too many stares." she said. 

"Thank you." said 2B.

"No problem. Whelp, I'll be off. See you guys tomorrow." Kainé walked out the gate. 

"A boy's outfit for you." said 2B, she handed 9S some of the clothes. She and the male android headed back into their house. A2 took some of the clothes and went back inside. After she changed she walked out wearing a black tank top and some track shorts. The lines on her body showing again, when Lars first met her, some of her clothing seemed to be more part of her skin, but that was all cleaned up now. She just had the lines going around her body. 

"These are my... pajamas? Right?" A2 asked. 

"Yup, and they fit you."

"It _does_ look like what I was wearing when I met you." she said back.

"Yup, I think so, too. My turn." Lars went inside the bathroom to shower, brush, and change. When he came out, he was wearing a regular t-shirt and shorts. "Thanks to this civilian arm, I can finally not have a sleeve missing." he said. "Since we still have some time before we sleep... you think you can tell me more about your old friends?"

A2 said nothing but smiled. She patted the bed and Lars sat in front of her. "I was put into service with other Attacker models, and other early prototypes. Anyway..." 

Lars ended up learning much that night.

 

*The next morning*

 

 A2 woke up with no one beside her. She sat up and looked around, then, she saw the door to the kitchen was a little bit open, and she heard things being cooked. A2 looked at the clock beside her, "Eight thirty." said she. A2 got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Smells filled her nose and she didn't know what they were. A2 saw none other than Lars cooking. "What is that?" she asked curiously. 

"It's scrambled eggs and turkey sausage. Plus, I'm toasting Belgian waffles." responded Lars. "Breakfast'll be ready in a bit." he added.

"Okay." responded A2. 

A2 went to go changed. She saw a second toothbrush and cup, A2 bared her teeth at the mirror. They were perfect, no stains, no rotting, they weren't real bones. She read that if humans brushed too much or too hard, their enamel would be damaged. She of course, didn't have any enamel, "Huh, how courteous." said A2. She grabbed the toothbrush anyway, and filled up her cup. After completely changing, she went outside, where breakfast was fully prepared. A2 wondered why Lars was actually cooking for her, after all, he knew she didn't need to eat, so why bother?

"You may be wondering why I keep cooking for you." stated Lars.

"You just read my mind." responded A2.

"Well, I mean, it's kinda lonely eating alone. Mom always told me that eating with people is always a better experience. My mom was gone a lot, and my dad also had to work far sometimes. So, I had to take care of myself sometimes. It was real lonely eating alone."

"I see." said A2. She thought about it a bit. Lars had experienced solitude before, not nearly as bad as her's, but still very similar. "Then I'll be glad to spend time with you over and over again. It'll never get old" said she as she was eating.

After the meal, Lars looked at the clock. "Alright, ready to head over to Zero's place?" 

"Yeah." A2 and Lars got dressed, when she was done, A2 was wearing a white t-shirt with a sleeveless jacket with jeans and boots on that added a few inches. Lars was wearing a black t-shirt, black jeans, some converse shoes, and to top it all off, a black dress shirt. His outfit reminded A2 much of his YoRHa long-coat. "Isn't it hot to wear all that? It's summer isn't it?" 

"It'll be fine." said Lars, "This summer seems to be cooler than some past ones. It's more like spring weather than anything. When they stepped outside, 2B and 9S were waiting, along with their pods. 2B was wearing a black top with sleeves that went down to her elbows, a skirt, stockings, and boots that were nearly identical to her old heels, and sunglasses. 9S was wearing a shorts, boots, a shirt identical to Lars', and a vest. 

"Good morning." said 9S. "So, we're going to buy more clothes and phones?" 

"Yeah, well, at least for you three. I managed to get practically all my stuff back, including my clothes and phone." he pulled out something in his pocket. It was a phone with a custom made case. It had the same lion on the back from the long-coat, embedding the fact it's Lars' emblem. He swiped a few things, "Yo, Zero, we're about ready. Come on over." he said before hanging up.

"Why go shopping for such things?" asked 2B, "We're androids, we don't need such things." 

"Don't be so uptight, 2B. I mean, according to the Commander, we're to live as civilians until Lars is finished with school. To, one, guard him, and two, learn more about humans as a whole." said 9S, "And I promised I'd get you a t-shirt one day, remember?"

"Oh, I almost forgot about that." 2B let out a small grin. A gust of wind stopped her from saying anything else. They all looked up to see a white dragon. He was huge and he landed nearby. The tail seemed to be an axe, the claws were gold and so were his horns.

"Oh, hi, Lars!" the dragon nearly shouted.

"Not so loud Mikhail, we still have other neighbors." Lars shushed. 

"Sorry." said Mikhail apologetically.

"You guys ready to go?" asked Zero. "Kainé is already at the mall."

"Yeah, though I should warn you, they weigh about three hundred pounds. Them being androids and all."

"Don't worry about it! I may not look like it, but I'm actually a  _really_ strong dragon!" Mikhail stated happily.

"That's great, champ." said Lars, "C'mon, guys." he ushered them over and they all boarded Mikhail. He took off and began flying at high speeds. Within no time at all, they were at the mall. Kainé, Yonah, and Emil were already there

Zero and the others got off. "About damn time." said Kainé, "C'mon, clothes come first." she began to walk, but suddenly she stopped and turned around. "So, uh, what's with the floating boxes?"

"We are units made to support-"

"Holy shit, they talk! What the fuck are they?"

"We are units made to support YoRHa units. I am Pod-153." chimed the female voice.

"And I am Pod-042, as you know, both 2B and 9S are YoRHa units. This unit is assigned to 2B, as Pod-153 is assigned to 9S." added the other pod.

"You remind me of Weiss." said Emil, "Accept without the accent and being magical."

"Noted." said Pod-153.

"Now that we have that over with. Clothes first. Mikhail, you can go fly off if you want. I'll call you when it's time to go." said Zero.

"Okay, Zero. See you." Mikhail then flew off. 

"Yeah, let's go in." said Kainé. The eight of them headed inside the clothing store. It was actually quite a bit of fun. Lars, Kainé, Zero, Yonah, and Emil helped the androids with buying clothes that fit them A2 chose a lot of jackets, tank-tops, jeans, and only a bit of formal clothing, with one skirt. 2B chose stuff that emulated her, coats, skirts, more formal clothing, scarves, etc. If course, 9S got many pairs of shorts, coats, long-sleeves shirts, and hoodies. Zero was also nice enough to buy the androids one new pair of shoes. After they were done with clothes, they went outside and Lars opened up portals for everyone to drop their things off at home.

"Now, for phones." said Zero, "It'd probably be best for you guys to get it under the same plan, so we're going to get you guys Lars' plan. Let's go. We'll meet you there." said Zero to Kainé. 

"Yeah." responded Kainé. She, along with Yonah and Emil got into her car and then drove off. Lars boarded Mikhail with the others and they quickly took off. After a short flight, they got to their designated place, Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola also happened to be there. 

"Oh, Lars." said Eve, "Hey." He was actually wearing a shirt now.

"Eve, you're... dressed?" asked A2.

"Yeah, brother said it's not decent to show off your body unless it's in certain places."

"Well, it's true." added Adam. "How has your day been?" 

"Fine." responded 2B, "I see you're also here for a phone." 

"Yes, I'm rather fond of the I-phone, for obvious reasons." 

"I've a perfect idea." said Emil, "How about we get you guys Android phones? Because... reasons..." he snickered.

"Not a bad idea." stated Kainé.

"As long as it works fine. It'll work." said A2.

"Androids it is then." said Zero, "Take your pick."

*That night*

Zero and the others waved goodbye to the androids. Lars stretched and thought of something. "How about we go out again tomorrow? To downtown L.A."

"Sounds great." said 9S, "See you tomorrow."

"That'll be splendid, when should we head out?" asked Popola.

"Does nine sound good?"

"Yeah, see you." said Devola. With that, everyone went back inside their houses.

*The next day*

Lars and his friends went into the city, with their new clothes. It was amazing, something they had never seen before. They had only seen he ruins of the city where they fought, the only ever city teeming with life was Avalon, the Jinzo capital. But this place was not Avalon, in their eyes, it was so much better. This city did not belong to their enemies, they didn't have to destroy it, it was their new home. Even Adam was amazed, for his city was merely a small village compared to this. "It's... breathtaking." he said. 

They walked around, awing at the city. Getting some food, seeing street performers, looking at spectacles that were ruined in their world. But something was off, there were so many teenagers and youth running stores and doing jobs that usually adults would do, but, there were so few adults. "What's with all the kids?" asked A2. Suddenly, a grim look spread across Lars' face. 

"Oh yeah. I almost forgot..." he said, rather quietly. Everyone waited for him to continue. "During the war, a lot of adults were drafted to fight. A lot of them died, and the many of the ones that came back were in no condition to be themselves ever again, if not physically, then mentally. So, a lot of the youth in the separate kingdoms had to drop out of school to try and provide for their younger siblings. I chose to live in San Gabriel for a reason other than to help leave my past behind me, that small town and a lot of the area around it is basically a safe haven. A rather stable number of the adults that made it back alright live there."

He then looked up into the bright, blue, somewhat clouded sky, "It's a good thing mom's trying to help these kids not have so terrible lives at such a young age." he turned around to his friends. "I mean, can you imagine having to leave school and work at the factories and mines just to provide for what little you have left of your family? Granted fossil fuels are done for, but, still, it's dangerous to harvest resources, no matter what."

"No kid should ever have to go through such a thing." said 9S, "Man, that's awful, what people around your age have to go through. But, you said The Commander was doing something about it?"

"Yeah, despite everything, the Kingdom is incredibly rich right now. The money was from the nobles who were benefited off the war and old corrupt government officials, by that I mean fat bastards who sat in their estates, too afraid to go out and fight themselves. Instead, they dragged the people into the war and wanted to keep it going so they could keep having their cash roll in. She had a lot them arrested and took their money, adding to the kingdom's entire savings. The kids are getting paychecks that'll keep them stocked on food for months and enough to pay their bills. Plus, she's also made education easier to get to."

"She's amazing. All that in a few days." stated Eve.

"That's right. But, it's not  _all_ pure. Me being her adoptive son, I get a monthly allowance to keep me going. I could have other privileges, but I wouldn't like the idea of me growing into a pampered kid. But, she  _does_ pay for the house we all live in, so I'm really grateful for that. Plus, if I were to disobey the law for a good reason and she deems it a good reason, then I kinda have immunity. Other than those three, I really don't have any other privileges."  

"I suppose that's reasonable." said 2B. "Things can only look up from here." she added. Everyone else shared a smile and nodded.

"I hope so." said Lars.

*After that day*

The rest of the summer was just them doing things. Helping out Nier with his job (killing leftover artificial monsters), going to an amusement park every now and then, going to the beach, and just having fun in general. One day, Lars was dressed in simple combat clothing. "Where're you going?" asked A2 as she was washing some dishes. 

"I'm going to spar with Yonah. She's a natural in a world full of magic users who might want to take advantage of her, so she has to defend herself in some way. I can't use magic against her, you wanna come?" he asked.

"Sure, lemme finish up." A2 quickly washed the dishes and then got dressed in her exercise clothing. They got to the park quickly to see Yonah and Kainé there. 

"We just finished warming up." said Kainé. A2 noticed what looked like curved saw-blade swords nearby. "Those are my weapons." said Kainé, made them myself when it was just me with Emil on the streets. Anyway, are _you_ ready?" she asked Lars.

"Yeah, A2, just watch."

"Okay, show me how this goes."

Lars got into his fighting position. His left arm lowered and opened up, whilst his right arm was more near his chest and was held into a fist. Yonah's fighting stance was a more traditional stance, fists raised, left leg forward, left hand near her cheek and right arm more outward. "Begin!" said Kainé. The fight lasted for about three minutes before Lars and Yonah both almost punched each other in the faces but stopped. 

"You're getting better." said Lars.

"I've been training whenever I can."

"Lars," said A2. Lars turned around, "would it be alright if I were to fight Kainé?"

"Sounds like you might hurt me. Don't underestimate me just because I'm a human." said Kainé. She raised her hands. 

"Grab your weapons." said A2. "I want to see them in action."

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Kainé walked over to her dual blades A2 materialized her normal long-sword. Kainé popped an invincibility charm that would last five minutes. They charged at each other, full speed and clashed. The fight ended in A2's favor. "Nice." said Kainé.

"Yeah, it comes with being a soldier." responded A2 as she helped Kainé up.

*After that*

The summer kept going like that. Things got better and better for the Kingdom, and eventually, an entire month passed since they left their old world. Lars, 2B, A2, 9S, Devola, Popola, Adam, and Eve sat on top of their house. Looking at the stars. "Sure is beautiful." said 9S.

"Yup." responded Lars.

"Lars." said A2.

"Yeah?"

"I think I speak for all of us, everyone in YoRHa, the resistance, and the Jinzo defectors, when I say. Thank you, if it weren't for you, we'd still be fighting in that hellish war."

Everyone looked at Lars and smiled.

"It's nothing. I may have been willing to stop at nothing to get back here. But, I'll help my friends and those I love any way I can."

Everyone chuckled a bit as they gazed up into the starry night sky.

And Lars had just the thought for this moment.

"This, is perfection."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I'm not sponsored by any of the things I mention.


	3. Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars is starting up school again, 9S decides to join him. But unlike most others, they seems to have a very interesting first day. Getting a person to hate you on the first day is quite a hard thing to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on Spring break.

Lars lay on his bed. It was ten at night, and the last day of his summer. He had gone to registration about a week ago, along with 9S. He still wondered why his friend had decided to join him in starting high school. Maybe 9S was fascinated with how the school had worked, or maybe he just wanted to try something new for a change. White had helped many of the youth at this point, so Lars had seen many more teenagers either applying for high school, or re-enrolling. A2 came out of the bathroom and stood over him. "Still not ready for high school?" she asked.

"Gabrielino. One of the top schools of the central of the North American Kingdom. Yonah, Kainé, and Zero either went or are is still going there." said Lars. "I mean, this does feel kind of weird. I had the longest summer-break any person my age could have. Woke up in another universe, fought a war that lasted four months, spent another month with you guys, and here I am, going to school once again." Lars pulled up his schedule. He had a zero period P.E, then his first was English, then he had algebra, then it was biology, then he had wood craft, music, and the last was combatants. He knew for a fact that 9S' schedule was nearly identical to his, he also knew that the music class wasn't orchestra or band, it was more of forming a garage band with different class mates and singing songs that existed for a proper grade.

"So, 9S has the same schedule as you?" asked A2 as she dried her hair. 

"Yeah, he made sure of that. I'm pretty sure he already knows how to do all this stuff. Oh well, he  _did_ look like he wanted to do this because it looked like fun to him. He managed to pass all exams even though he never went to school before."

"I see. I also see you have combatants as a class."

"Yup, it's apparently a new optional program to help kids learn how to fight, use their magic properly, and defend themselves. I read that you can either bring your own gear, make a sword through the year, or just borrow a basic sword from the school. All I know is that I'm probably using three swords through the year."

"I'm guessing it's the one you got from Caim and the one you got from the Emil we knew?"

"Yeah, the third one is the new modded Type-4O sword I got."

"A military grade sword." stated A2, "Just don't hurt anyone." she said. Suddenly, Lars' phone went off. He looked at it and Zero was calling.

"Yeah?"

"Okay, Lars, I know your first day of high school is tomorrow, so I want to warn you about one guy." said Zero.

"Yeah? I'm listening."

"So there's this punk called Randy Phillips, a year younger than me, he had a huge crush on me back when I went to Gabrielino, but I rejected him before graduating in twenty sixteen. He got really pissed off and said he would forever hate me and my family for it, I know he flunked his senior year so he had to retake it. He's still there, and I know that if he finds out that you're my adoptive brother, he's still gonna hate you, and beware of his little fan club. Despite failing, he's still one of the most popular kids in school from what I remember."

"Don't worry about it, sis." said Lars nonchalantly, "I can handle him."

"Glad to hear it. Well, just a heads up, goodnight. I'll pick you up tomorrow, love you."

"Love you, too." said he. Lars hung up.

A2 crossed her arms, "What a petty punk, that Phillips guy."

"I know, well, I better go to sleep now. Got a zero period that starts at seven in the morning. Good night, A2. I love you." yawned Lars.

"Love you, too." A2 turned off the light and climbed into bed next to Lars. 

*The next morning*

The alarm went off at six in the morning. Lars got up and quickly washed and changed, he looked at his hair, still quite long. So he decided to change it up a bit. Zero always said that another version of him had a hairstyle that Lars actually thought looked god. So, using his skills, he cut his hair to the right length and used a charm to alter the way his hair would grow. His bangs now parted more left to his forehead, the right side curved upwards diagonally pointing to the left. The left side of his head's hair was curving upwards and so were the hairs on the back of his head.

The scar on his left brow dragged down to below his eye. He also noticed a scar on his right cheek, something he hadn't seen before. When he left the bathroom, A2 was awake, she smiled when she saw the new hairstyle. "Mimicking your main?"

"Yeah, wish me luck." said he.

"Good luck, see you later." she responded before heading into the bathroom to wash up. Lars ate his breakfast, a healthy assortment of nuts, fruits, and some bread. When he went outside, dressed up what he was wearing when they went clothes shopping with a glove on his left hand. With a one strapped backpack and Caim's sword in it's scabbard on the back of his waist, he met up with 9S. He was dressed in clothing very similar to his uniform, Popola came out with their lunches and wished them well on their first day. 

Lars and 9S thanked Popola and waved as they walked through the portal leading to the school. When they got there, Lars and 9S first looked at each other and then headed to the boy's locker room. As they were changing the first thing that people noticed about Lars was his build, and the marks on his body. All the other boys had bodies that any normal fourteen-year old boys would have. Lars was not one of these boys, he was incredibly ripped and covered in scars, if not from battle then from the surgeries he went through. They also noticed a ring at the joint where his left arm connected to his body, and the two lines that went down his arm, one leading to a ring on the back of his hand and the other to his palm.

9S also took notice of this. "Lars, isn't this a civilian arm?" he asked.

"I rigged it a bit. It has a weaker version of the smash-cannon and a force-field installed. Plus, I can release staunching gel should you need it. It's just in case we end up in a bad situation with an anti-magic field." responded Lars.

"Alright, I won't tell the Commander."

"Thanks, dude." said Lars, "C'mon, let's go."

"Yeah." 

When the both of them headed outside, they immediately got stares from both boys and girls. They were amazed of how the both of them looked, practically flawless. Granted, it made some of them jealous, but Lars and 9S paid no attention to them and just waited. After a few moments, their teacher came out and began explaining how the year would go. In the first semester they would be covering normal sports and sports that would include snow. In the second semester, they would be covering more aquatic activities. Their specific class had miles every Friday. 9S and Lars just knew they had to race. Lars, with his speed, and 9S with his unlimited stamina.

The class was smooth sailing from there, they had began the year on their basket ball unit. Lars and 9S were on the same team and shined in the unit with their team mates. After that was over, it was time for what Lars considered to be boring classes. English, math, and science were things he was good at, but didn't really care for. It was still an easy day, though. Lars and 9S introduced themselves along with the rest of their classes. He noticed one thing about his biology class. Randy Phillips was there.

"Is that the guy that you were talking about in P.E?" whispered to Lars whilst the teacher was talking. Lars looked at him. He was European descent, he was definitely a senior, and was very handsome. He had a fade haircut and seemed to have eyes that could carve into your soul. But the most notable trait of his, was his muscular build, similar to Lars'. 

"That's definitely him." said Lars, "I'm not gonna bother to start anything. So just ignore him. We both know we can beat him in one on ones." 

"Yup, you're totally right." said 9S. After biology was over, Lars and 9S moved on to the more interesting classes, the wood craft teacher was very nice to them. He treated everyone in that room like they were his family. The class was about how to handle the tools and safety. And the ever important syllabus that stated if a kid were to be injured, then the teacher was not to be held responsible under any circumstances. After that was over, it was time for lunch. Lars and 9S both ate and found Yonah to hang with. While they were walking around the campus and getting used to it, the three of them saw Randy and his goons harassing some random freshman.

"Should we do something?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, we should." responded Lars.

"Careful, Randy's magics include chaos and gravity!" Yonah said from a distance.

"Don't worry about it, I've dealt with a person like that before." 

Lars walked over to the back of Randy and grabbed his arm before a blow could be landed on the kid. "What the-?" asked Randy before he looked behind him. He tried to use minimal force to pull his arm away, but ended up having to use all his power. It was that moment when he shouted, "Let go, you little bitch!" that many of the students stopped what they were doing and looked over to the direction of those guys. "What was that about?" he asked with a vicious smile.

"Looked like you were bullying that kid over there, didn't like it, so I put a stop to it." said Lars, his ace stern. He looked over to the other kid, "Get outta here." the kid quickly ran.

"Hey, that was my prey..." said Randy, "I don't really like it when my prey runs away. Especially not if they ran because some kid thinks he can be a hero and interfered. I'm gonna need payment for this."

"Well, you're not gonna get it." said 9S suddenly.

Randy laughed, "Honestly, bro! Who are you? Butting into our conversation like that, so irrelevant. Do you know who I am!?" he suddenly shouted. Everyone now looked shocked. Two freshmen were pissing off Randy Phillips.

"Yeah, Randy Phillips, don't really care." responded Lars, not flinching once. "Seriously, if you think so highly of yourself, why don't you harass someone else other than a freshman?"

"Oh? So you think highly of yourself now!?" Randy swung his fist at Lars, but he opened a portal right in front of his face. Randy ended up punching one of his own goons. But then, Randy noticed the sheathed sword that Lars had on him. "You know what? You have combatants, don't you?"

"Yeah, we both do. Last period of the day." said 9S.

"Good, I'll be there to kick both your asses." chuckled Randy cockily. 

"I have a funny feeling that we just did something that not many of the people here are gonna like. I mean, you said he's one of the popular kids, right?" asked 9S.

"Popular is an understatement." said Yonah, just walking in. "He's kinda like the school's King." she added. 

Lars looked around, some kids were completely baffled at what had just happened, others seemed to be giving him death stares as if he had just messed up big time, and those who weren't giving him those looks looked like they were satisfied that someone had stood up to Randy, or that he was probably gonna get it. Either way, Lars could only find out what would happen. The bell rang signaling that lunch was over, some kids walked next to him telling him to beware of what he had just done or congratulated him. The next class was music, which to his pleasant surprise, he had with Yonah. The class was about how it worked, as Lars expected, it was about forming a small band with classmates and playing songs. 

Howe well they played or sang would depend their grade. The class relied heavily on teamwork, Lars even got the chance to show off his guitar skills. The entire class was impressed, so 9S also tried his hand at an instrument. Him being a high end android, he could learn very quickly. He tried the drums, which he wasn't really good at. Not at first, at least, but with a bit of guidance, he got the hang of it and showed that he was an excellent drummer and bass player. As soon as that class was done, Lars knew it was time for combatants. 

He was with Yonah and 9S heading to the locker room when he was approached by Randy and his goons. "So. I found out about you two." he said to 9S and Lars.

"Oh? And what might _that_ be?" asked 9S.

"You think just because, you're with that whore of a Minister, you can beat me?" he asked to Lars, "Think again boy, and you." he said to 9S. "Just because you're an android soldier, doesn't mean you stand a chance against us superior humans." He backed up to speak to all three of them, "I don't care what you are, or where you came from, I'll show you why I'm Gabrielino's king. Some random kid who knows the Minister and knows an android or two doesn't scare me." he said before rolling out. 

"What. A. Tool." sighed Yonah.

"Now  _that_ is an understatement." said 9S back.

Lars' blood was now boiling. He couldn't give a damn if people insulted him, but if they insulted any of his family or his friends in anyway, then he would make sure they would pay for their insult in full force. 

"Lars, calm down. You can take your anger on him when you beat him." said Yonah before walking onward with 9S.

"What's with him?" asked 9S to Yonah.

"People always made fun of Lars when he was a kid. He never really got angry, unless they insulted his parents or his friends." responded Yonah, "I guess we're gonna see him fight full force today, he usually holds back because of how strong he is." That got 9S thinking, it has been a very long time since he saw Lars fight with all his strength. Does that mean that every time he saw him spar with Yonah, he was holding back? "Do you know what Lars was like when he fights full force? What was he like when he fought in that war? I've never really seen him fight that hard."

"He was incredibly fast and powerful. I mean, you'd be shocked at how vicious his attacks are when he just uses his hands. And let's not forget stylish."

"I hear you there, I mean, that many 'silent entries' and 'dynamic entries', and he somehow makes it work." Yonah saw that Lars had dissapeared, "Let's get going." 9S nodded and went into the locker room. 

When they got to the Colosseum, he and Yonah saw that the teacher was instructing how the class would work. Every match would be three minutes, sometimes there would be one on one duels, and other times, there would be team battles. Every match could have two rules, one by the teacher, and one by a fighter. If that rule was broken by a fighter, then that fighter would lose. All fights would take place on a space that was large enough to have several fighters on the floor. Yonah and 9S joined Lars for warming up. "You alright?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, he is so going down..." said Lars, tranquil fury apparent in his voice. The teacher called for volunteers for the first match of the school year. Lars obviously volunteered since Randy had done so. "My magic types, darkness, fire, close-range lightning, and universe."

"You got four, huh? I have chaos, gravity, and flight." they played "rock, paper, scissors" to decide the rule. Randy won, and he said, "Only one magic type." he said.

"Fine, universe." said Lars. 

"Chaos." some kids laughed as if they thought Lars was screwed.

"One more condition." said the instructor, "Minimal armor, and pain absorber is set to level six, you'll feel quite the sting if you're hit. Get to your sides."

"You hate me, why?" asked Lars to Randy before heading to his corner.

"Bro, I don't hate you, I just have to send a message to you."

"Don't call me, 'bro', bro." retorted Lars, "I saw it in your eyes, you hate me and Nines. So, what's up?"

"Fine, it's because of you lot that my old man's in jail. Happy?"

"Your old man is Jerald Phillips?" asked Lars, Randy nodded. "What a scum bag, trying to keep the war going, y'know, I'm pretty sure he had one of the senators who preached peace killed. And pinned it on the Alliance."

"You calling my old man evil?" Lars gave him a "really?" look. "I've been waiting or this day where I get the chance to defend my family's honor."

"Popping invincibility!" said the instructor.

Lars dew his sword, whilst Randy got his axe ready. Many people cheered for Randy to kick Lars' ass, even saying "Kill him, Randy!"

"Ready?" the instructor threw the charm into the air, and it popped, the invincibility getting to Lars and Randy.

*Solid State Scouter DBZ*

"Go!" shouted the instructor. Both Randy and Lars both charged at each other with full speed. Lars' sword clashed with Randy's axe and a very loud clang could be heard from the force. The both of them jumped back from each other. Randy swung his axe down on Lars, but Lars managed to parry it with his sword. Randy quickly got back into his position and blocked several of Lars' attacks. Lars could tell that Randy had clearly trained for this since he was a freshman. 

"Should've picked one of your other magic types! Can't do much with only portals!" Randy boasted. Lars then knew that he was overestimating this guy. He may have trained and been in this class for the last few years, but Lars could tell that he had never fought to the death before. Lars also noticed that Randy only thought the offensive magics were important, he thought nothing of utility magics. All of Randy's attacks were meant to cut or bruise Lars. Just as Lars was about to run at Randy again, he unleashed a wave of chaos energy. Lars managed to dodge it by jumping onto one of the walls and running on it. "You know you can't beat me! So stop running and just surrender! I've got years of this on you!"

"Is that what you would call a victory?" asked Lars. He jumped from the wall and opened a portal right in front of himself. Just as he did, Randy fired another chaos wave at Lars. The wave missed and Lars was right in front of Randy and kicked him in the stomach. "Let me tell you one thing." said Lars as Randy swung his axe at him, Lars easily blocking it. "It doesn't matter how much experience you've got, you still can't win against me." Lars hit Randy's axe aside with his other arm and reached through a portal, pulling out his Type-4O sword. Everyone was now shocked, because to them, he was just some normal kid pulling out a military grade sword. He stabbed his sword into the ground and pulled the trigger on his 4O sword. The blade glowed blue and Lars cut right through Randy's axe with ease. 

Randy roared and sent a wave of chaos at Lars. He jumped through a portal and reappeared in the sky. The wave had sent Caim's sword into the air, so Lars grabbed it on the way down and bought both blades down. Two cuts hit Randy's shoulders and sent him to the ground. "That's because no amount of training and timed matches can prepare you against a person who has fought in a war. Remember that..." panted Lars, 9S and Yonah cheered, so did some other kids.

*Fade*

"You're full of it!" shouted Randy.

"Excuse me?"

"Fought in a war? Yeah right, how do you expect me to believe you fought in the Union? Stop lying."

"I manage to pull out a military grade sword without any consequence, and that doesn't have you ask anything? Stealing equipment from the military is a class B offense, enough to land you in prison, and I somehow can just pull one out. Plus, it doesn't occur to you that I somehow have affiliations with the Minister of this entire Kingdom, and with another military grade android? Jesus, Randy, open up your damn eyes. It's public knowledge there's a multiverse ever since the androids came in. Can't you see? I fought alongside them in their world and bought them here, I'm a soldier. One who's been through battles and survived and ended other's lives. I also happen to be the Minster's adoptive son, so you insult her again, and I'll do even worse next time."

"That's enough." said the instructor. "We have other matches to get to."

"This isn't over..." growled Randy, "Just because you're a soldier doesn't make me afraid. She put my dad in jail, and I'm gonna get my revenge."

"Jeez you're just as bad as Zero said you were."

"Zero?" 

"Yeah, my adoptive sister, she says hi, by the way."

Randy shouted something that was incomprehensible and walked away, whilst Lars just went back to his friends. "That, was awesome!" Yonah nearly squealed. "I've been waiting to see that a long time now!"

"Well, I cooled off now." said Lars, "Well, why don't you guys give it a shot?"

"Will do, I'm next." said 9S, "Wish me luck."

"Good luck." said both Lars and Yonah. 9S' match was a walk in the park, he showed off his scanner skills and easily beat his opponent without even having to get near him. As for Yonah, she used her sword skillfully and easily disarmed one of Randy's goons and kicked her off his feet. She tried getting back up, but Yonah pointed her sword at the goons neck before she could get back up.

After that class was over, it was time to go home. Lars, 9S, and Yonah all waited at the gates. Within a minute of them leaving the school's gates, a familiar white dragon flew above them. As Mikhail landed Zero got off and asked, "So, how was your guys' first day?"

"Fine." said 9S.

"Randy's more of a tool than I remember." said Yonah. 

"I put him in his place. Don't worry about it." said Lars, "Though I feel he's persistent." he added.

"Well, speak of the devil." said Zero.

The three students turned to face a dumbstruck Randy, "Z-Zero?" he asked. "L-look about last time, I'm really-"

"Stay the hell away from me and my little brother." she said.

"Little brother?"

"Yeah, Lars."

"I thought he was-"

"Lying? Yeah right, and from what I just heard, you were trying to ask for my forgiveness. Not gonna happen."

Randy suddenly glared at Lars, his eyes bloodshot. "So, you're also going to humiliate me?" he growled. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!" he suddenly screamed. Randy pulled a dagger out and tried to stab Lars, but Zero was quicker than that. She sang one verse and suddenly Randy stopped. Zero then quickly materialized her sword and stabbed Randy right in the shoulder. The dagger dropped and as Zero pulled the blade out, Randy was tackled by school security. 

"Zero, I never knew you had a sword. And you obviously know how to use it!" said Yonah. 

"Oh, I forgot to mention." said Zero softly. "I took combatants." she chuckled.

"Sweet, my sister's a model, pop-idol, and a badass swordswoman." stated Lars. Randy was still screaming his head off about how he was going to have revenge as he was being taken away.

"You can say that again, come on, let's celebrate a pain being gone. Drinks are on me!" 

The four of them cheered before mounting onto Mikhail and flying off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before Lars changed his hair, his style looked like Caim's from Drakengard, now, it looks like Lars' hair from Tekken.  
> Yonah's blade is the Moonfire from Drakengard, and Randy's axe is the Windsinger from Drakengard 1. I'm sure you know how Zero's blade looks.


	4. Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three weeks have passed since Lars' first day. Randy is gone, but Lars' troubles aren't over yet. This time, it involves those around him as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the title of the chapter made it easy to tell the lot of this chapter. Introduction of a minor but reoccurring character by the way.

"Watch your left!" shouted 9S.

Lars was nearly knocked off his feet by a mace. Yonah came in and slashed his opponent right across his chest. The opponent was knocked off his feet and Yonah jumped on him and finished him. 9S had also finished his opponent. "Team Enix is the winner. Team Black Fang loses ten points." said the instructor.

"Yeah!" shouted 9S. "This means we're in the top ten!"

"That's great. Dad would be so proud!" added Yonah. 

"Yeah, let's aim for the number one spot!" shouted Lars.

The other two cheered as they walked off the field so the next to teams could fight. But from the outskirts of the Colosseum, a lone girl watched them walk off. After the day ended, Lars, 9S, and Yonah gathered their things and started heading home. Yonah split off as she was going to train some more with Kainé, 9S and Lars decided they would go to Adam's newly opened cafe that day.

"It's real nice of the school to have that new 'no-homework policy, it's up to you to do well' policy. I mean, homework can definitely get troublesome and annoying." said 9S.

"Yeah, I hear you there. Why aren't you bringing Pod-153 with you to school, she could help you with keeping track of priorities." said Lars.

"You're right. I'm pretty sure there's no rule against bringing a familiar as long as they don't hurt anyone." 

Lars was about to say something, when he got a tap on the shoulder. He looked behind him to see the source of the tap. It was that girl from the combatants class, the one who didn't really talk. "Hi..." she nearly whispered. She looked rather gaunt, wore a black hoodie and had messy hair.

"Oh, hi." said Lars. "You're one of the members of team..." Lars thought for a bit, "Team Indigo Sky, right?" The girl nodded.

"So, is there anything you need?" asked 9S.

"Not really... I just..."

"Say, isn't she the 'quite one'? The kind that doesn't have many friends and is usually picked on?" 9S asked Lars.

"Yeah, so I say, let's be her friends. She looks like she needs 'em." responded Lars. 9S and Lars both looked back at her.

"So, what's your name?" asked 9S.

"B-Beth..." 

"Beth, huh?" asked Lars, looking into the sky, "You wanna come with us? We're going to Eden Cafe, the new place that opened, their apple pie is delicious."

Slowly, a small smile formed on her face, she looked up, "You really mean it?"

"I mean, if you don't want to, we can't force you."

"N-no... I would love to..." she said.

"Alrighty then, come along." said 9S. They walked over to Eden Cafe. When they got there, it was quite packed. The food and drink were good and affordable, plus the staff was really nice and pretty, for many high-school students, this place had it all. 

"Hey, Devola." said Lars.

"Oh, Lars, the place is kind of busy. We'll have you seated in a moment." Devola responded, "A new friend?" she asked.

"Yeah, her name's Beth. Could we get a menu?" 

"Sure." Devola gave them a menu and they looked at it.

"This your first time here?" asked 9S to Beth, she nodded. "Then let's get the apple pie. It's really good." she nodded again. 9S and Lars placed their order and were at down. The pie was delicious, and Beth seemed to be talking more. After they parted ways and went home, 9S decided to crash at Lars' place with 2B and A2.

"So we made a new friend today." said 9S.

"Who is it?" asked 2B as she read a book.

"Her name's Beth, seemed like one of the kids who didn't have a lot of friends. So me and Nines decided to help her out, she looked like she needed it. So far, there doesn't seem to be anything that's off. I wonder why the others want to stay away from her so bad."

"Maybe she's just shy." said A2, "Or maybe she's being judged for something. No offense, but I think humans are kind of weird. They discriminate for such small things, and kill for even smaller reasons."

"I hear you, A2." said Lars. He was actually agreeing, "But hey, that's humans for you." he added, "But, I hope that we can get along with her just fine." 

"You said it." 9S stated. "Well, who's up for a game of Tekken?" Everyone looked up, including 2B. "Then they all played. 

The next few days were quite alright. Lars, 9S, and Yonah would be getting along with Beth just fine. They had much fun together, whether it was participating in school activities or just hanging out outside of school. Lars and A2 would be together and still run into her sometimes, though it was always a simple hello. The three of them could tell that Beth was starting to get out of her bubble, 9S and Yonah even knew that she was developing a crush on Lars, and they knew that she was going to confess at one point.

"Should we tell her that he's already in a relationship?" asked 9S to Yonah.

"I dunno, it might break her heart." she said back.

"But if she finds out the hard way, it might be even worse."

"That is true. We'll tell him."

"Good idea." 9S and Yonah walked over to Lars and Beth, who were talking.

"You tell him." 

"Sure." 

"Oh, hey. You guys are back." said Lars.

"Yeah, hey, can I talk to you for a moment?" asked 9S.

"Oh, yeah. I'll be back." he said to Beth, she nodded. "So, what's up?"

"Beth... Well, she likes you." said 9S hesitantly. Lars recoiled a small bit from the shock.

"She does?" 

"Yeah. Don't freak out. Look, me and Yonah didn't know about this for long, but we know she's going to confess at one point. We thought of telling her of A2, but we figured that it'd be better for you to tell her. You know, let her down softly and hope it goes well?"

"Good thinking." said Lars, "I won't bring it up yet. When she confesses, I'll tell her then. Other wise, it'll look obvious that we plotted it, and I don't want to hurt her."

"Yeah, then let's go back." Lars thanked 9S for the info and the two boys both went back to join the two girls. 

*The Next Few Days*

Lars couldn't help but think about the inevitable moment. But, nevertheless, he enjoyed their time together. Beth was a really great friend, and when the time came where she would confess with them. One day, they were all walking together. "Lars, can I have a moment with you?" asked Beth. The other three knew what it was.

"Sure, you guys go on ahead." said Lars,  _"Here it comes."_ he thought to himself.

"I... I haven't felt this way in a long time." she said. Here it comes, "Ever since I've started spending time with you, I feel like I'm actually truly happy. I want to keep that feeling, with you. I love you, Lars."

"Beth. I'm happy you feel that way, but... how do I say this?" Beth's smile fell from her face, and Lars' heart sank at the same time. "I never bought this up before, because I thought there'd be no need to, but I think we're just better off being friends."

"But, why...?" she asked.

"There's... someone else in my life already." Lars managed to say, "I never bought her up because I didn't think it was necessary. You've even seen me with her sometimes."

"Oh..." 

"Look, I'm so sorry... We can still be friends. I mean, I really  _do_ like you, you're a great person, and I personally think you're a great fighter. I've never seen anyone else  _that_ good with a throwing knife. So, friends?"

"Yeah, friends..." she said.

"Now come on, let's go catch up with-" Lars was cut off when she ran. "Wait, Beth!" but she was already gone. "God dammit." said Lars to himself. He knew that chasing her would only worsen things, "You guys can come out now." 9S and Yonah came out from behind a building.

"Damn..." stated Yonah, "I hope she didn't take it too hard."

"Me neither."

"Well, I just hope we see her again. I mean, I didn't  _mean_ to hurt her."

"We know. Let's just hope you didn't, at least not too bad." The three of them walked on over to Eden cafe. Lars had a slim hope that they would see Beth there, in the table they usually sit at, and with a smile. But, she wasn't there, and it just didn't feel right. When they got the apple pie, it didn't taste as good as it had the past few days.

The next day, Lars and 9S met Yonah at school. They didn't see Beth around at all. When they got to combatants, Team Indigo Sky was missing their member, and couldn't compete in that day's matches. It was the same the day after that, no sign of Beth at all. The three of them began to get worried, that day, they mutually decided to try and go to her house, see if things were alright. They remembered the address of her home. 9S rang the doorbell, and they waited. After a whole three minutes passed, 9S knocked.

"Hello?" he called, "Anybody home? 

They heard a car pull up right behind them. "Police?" said Yonah. 9S and Lars saw that he was indeed a police.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Lars.

"I'm here for an investigation. Please step aside."

"Can you tell us what this investigation is?"

"No, step aside."

"Very well, fine. I am Lars Alexandersson, son of Minister White and Field Commander of YoRHa, and this is Unit 9S of YoRHa."

The officer straightened himself and saluted. "Apologies for the behavior, sir. Captain Marcus Harrison, reporting for duty." Lars gave him the at ease signal, "I've been sent here to investigate a girl, Beth Douglas. We have reason to believe she is plotting a scheme of some sorts that involve endangering people, specifically you, but we don't know the exact details. There was also a murder at this house, and we suspect it's her who did it."

"That's ridiculous." said 9S, "Why would she do that?"

"Unknown, her parents reported that when they went into her room, she seemed to have pictures of you all over her wall." he said to Lars. "They also reported that there was your name written all over the wall in blood, accompanied by the message, 'He will be mine'. After we got the call, the line cut off, but not before we heard some screams. The neighbors reported that they saw Beth covered in blood and disposing of two bags. We managed to recover them, and they were her parents. I'm only here now because the force was putting together the investigation."

"How long ago was this?" asked 9S.

"We received the calls a night ago." 

"So that's why she hasn't shown up to school." said Lars, "But how do you it was her? It could've been a person manipulating their looks to try and frame her. She was known as an unpopular kid at school, so maybe they chose her because most people think that she would've done something like this."

"That could be a possibility. But for now, my orders are to search her room."

"Then we're coming with you." said 9S.

"You and the Minister's son can. Not the civilian."

"She's with us." 

"Still a no, that might endanger her. The suspect is highly trained and reports say she specializes in ranged weaponry."

"It'll be fine. I'll stay out here. You two are soldiers, go on ahead." she said.

"Stay safe." said Lars, "We'll be out in just a moment." Yonah nodded. The officer opened up the door.

"It's unlocked." Marcus looked at 9S and Lars, "Got your weapons on you?" he asked. Lars drew his 4O sword, and 9S materialized his blade. The Captain nodded and drew a gun, Lars, 9S, and the officer went inside. They crept quietly through the house, blood stains on the floor signaled that there was something definitely happened in this house. Lars didn't want to believe it, all this? He shook his head, he couldn't afford to believe it was his fault this happened, after all, it wasn't too late, they could still help Beth. At least he thought so, he wasn't sure about 9S.

"Blood..." Marcus stated. He took out some kind of device and scanned the stain. "It's a match, this is her mother's blood." 9S examined the blood, "Let's go upstairs." said he. Lars and 9S followed him up close. "Look." he whispered. 9S and Lars saw her room. The windows were shut tightly, but a lamp was lit. They also heard humming, it was Beth's voice. Lars signaled Marcus to sneak to one side of the door. Lars and 9S got to the other side.

"When I give the signal, you take the lead."

"Yes, sir." responded Marcus. Lars peeked inside. She was facing the wall that had the blood writing, it had something else written, "He will be mine, No OnE ELSE CAn haVE hIM. The report was right, there were pictures of Lars plastered on the wall. She was also cutting her wrist, adding more cuts to what seemed like hundreds. "Now." he said. 

Marcus kicked open the door, Beth whipped her head around, Lars and 9S were right behind the police. "Freeze! You are accused for the murder of Catherine Douglas and Dwayne Douglas, do not resist and this can go smoothly."

"Lars?" she asked, "You've come to see me." she chuckled.

"I'm here to help you. Come on, just do as the Captain asks and turn yourself in. What you did was wrong, but you can still get help." 

"Help? I feel the best I had in a long time. They were in the way of our love, so I got rid of them." Marcus stepped forward a bit, but Lars put his sword in front of him, gesturing him to stand down. Marcus lowered his gun. "What I did was right! And you're calling it wrong that I tried to improve our love?"

"Beth, come on. Don't make this any harder, just do as the officer says. I promise, we can help."

Suddenly it hit Beth. In her twisted eyes, Lars did love her, but there was still someone in the way. The other woman that Lars said he loved, "Oh, I see it now." she said, "I still have something to do."

"Beth, what are you-" 9S was cut off.

" _She's_ still in the way. If I get rid of her, then we can totally be together!"

"I've heard enough, surrender and-" Marcus raised his gun when he saw a knife in her hand. In a flash she threw it and it whipped past Lars and hit Marcus in the left shoulder, the gun flew out of his hand and Beth caught it. She shot the window and began running towards it, before she could jump completely out, Marcus drew something from the back of his belt. It was a throwing knife of his own, he managed to throw it into Beth's leg.  She still jumped out the window. The three rushed to the exit point an watched her use her teleportation.

"God damn it." said Marcus, "She got away."

"Captain, your wound." said 9S.

"It's fine. Just a flesh wound." he said as he pulled the knife out. "Any ideas where she might be going? She said something about getting rid of a girl, right?"

"She's talking about A2. 9S call, 2B and tell her to tell Pod-042 to scan for intruders inside my house. Also, tell 2B to get her visor on."

"You got it." responded 9S.

"Captain, get to your car and call for back up, her magics are, teleportation, speed, and invisibility." 

"On it." The three got outside. Yonah, still waiting.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Get in the car." responded Marcus, "She is the perpetrator." They got inside the vehicle. "This is Captain Harrison, all available units head to..." he turned to Lars, "Where do you live?"

"Head to the San Gabriel Sash and Door parking lot." 

"Yeah, head there. The suspect is suspected to be there and has teleportation, speed, and invisibility. She is considered to be armed and dangerous." And with that, the five of them sped off.

*Transition*

A2 was getting a call from Lars, "Yeah?" she asked. 

"A2, you home?"

"I'm near, why?"

"Listen, someone is in our home. She's armed with throwing knives, and has super speed. She can also teleport and go invisible."

"Beth?"

"Yeah, she's gone mad. After I turned her down, she killed her parents, and now she wants you dead."

"Got it. Where are you now?"

"In a police car, we're on the way. 2B is scanning the building, help her out. But don't kill her if it comes to it."

"Got it." she hang up and began to run.

*Transition*

"Scan complete. Alert: There is a life sign inside of Lars and A2's home. Proposal: Wait for unit A2 to begin apprehension." chimed Pod-042.

"You got it." 2B didn't wait that long for A2 to come through the gates. "You heard?"

"Yeah, let's do this. Lars and 9S are on their way." A2 materialized her sword, "We're not to kill her, swing to bruise and cut only. Mark."

"Sync." said 2B. She put her blindfold on, then got her sword out. A2 slowly unlocked the door and opened it. The both of them walked into the kitchen. No signs yet, they went into the living room. Immediately after A2 opened the door, a throwing knife came right at her. A2 managed to deflect it, but saw no one. 

"She's invisible..." growled A2, "2B, can you be my eyes?"

"No problem." responded 2B. "To our left!" she shouted. Both 2B and A2 dodged another knife. A2 looked in the direction of the knife. Then, she looked up, she saw the sprinkler. 

"Sorry, Lars." A2 threw her sword at the sprinkler and the water sprayed everywhere, a silhouette showed itself. The figure screamed and used it's speed to appear right in front of A2 to try and punch her, but when the fist connected with A2's face, it was like punching metal. The figure's invisibility went off and revealed itself to be Beth. She tried to reach for her gun, but 2B lightly sliced her arm before she could. 

"Nice job, A2." said 2B.

"Same to you, 2B.

"2B? A2?" asked Beth, "Are you two even human?"

"No, we're androids."

"He's in love, with an artificial being?!" Beth screamed, "It's not fair! How? I actually need him, the perfect guy, and he already has you! Why does he love and android?"

"If you really did loved him, then you would've respected his decision of turning you down and wanting to continue being friends." said A2 suddenly, "But instead, you delude yourself into thinking that he loved you and I was in the way, or something like that."

"An android? Lecturing me about emotion?! This isn't over!" she teleported away. She made the mistake of going to the parking lot, where several police cars were already there. Lars, 9S, Yonah were present.

Other police officers had guns pointed at her, Marcus stepped forward, "You've done enough! Stand down!" Beth tried to teleport, but couldn't. "We've set up an anti-magic field around the parking lot. It's no use." Beth fell to her knees, knowing she lost. "Get her."

As she was being taken away, she was still calling to Lars to help her. And he wondered how it all came down to be this way. He just wanted to be friends, and this wound up happening. Maybe in some way or another, it was partially his fault. He just wished things had turned out differently. The Captain then came up to him. "Thanks for today. If I hadn't run into you, we might not have caught her for a long time."

"No problem. I just... wished it didn't end like this."

"I hear you. To have a close friend, and for the close friend to turn out to have something wrong with them, and not being able to help them. It sucks."

"Thanks anyway, Marcus." The officer saluted and Lars did as well.

That was the end of the Beth Douglas case, and Lars still couldn't help but think he was partially to blame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my first time writing a character like Beth, so if you have any tips, please, sharing them would help a lot. Thanks!  
> But, seriously, if you see someone who's lonely and needs friends, please, do you best to give them a helping hand. Take caution, but, do help them out if you can.  
> The Marcus looks and sounds like Maes Hughes from Full Metal Alchemist ཀ ʖ̯ ཀ.


	5. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school dance. Meant to be a wonderful time for people to unwind and have fun. And it is, for Lars and his friends, but, a few unexpected things do happen, but it's nothing serious. Unless you don't count convicts breaking out and attacking your school dance, then it's nothing serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will get more interesting, I promise. Just not for a a few more chapters. Expect a lot of time skips.  
> Also, you get to see Zero be more of a badass.

Lars looked at the calendar. He saw the date that was marked, "homecoming." It would be his first, and he was looking forward to it very much. He and 9S were going, but he believed that the best part, was that both 2B and A2 decided to go as their dates! He was very excited, his first dance with A2, they had gone on dates before, but they weren't going to be taking the dance floor in quite formal clothing. "About three days left." he said. 

A2 had left earlier to go to her tailor. 2B had also gone out to her tailor. A2 had told Lars that she had an outfit in mind, but didn't reveal it to him. 9S had told Lars the case was the same with 2B. It was October, several weeks had passed since the Beth Douglas incident, where he had met Captain Marcus Harrison, and more than a month has passed since the first day of school, A.K.A, the day when Randy Phillips got arrested for attempted murder.

But he decided not to think about that, instead, he began to look for something nice to wear. And he found it, Lars tried it on, his father's tailcoat. He always knew that his dad would want him to inherit it,  _"It's gonna look great!"_ he could hear his father say excitedly. It was a bit big, but no that much, Lars also knew he already had a dress-shirt to wear underneath (Actually, several of them, due to the fact he wears them like jackets if it's not cold enough). He decided that he would go for a look that was similar to his YoRHa uniform.

Lars dug around his house for the nicest trousers he could find. After searching for about three minutes, he found them, and for a bonus, right next to them were dress shoes. They were black and white, perfect contrast. So Lars quickly changed and looked at himself in a mirror. "It looks great, dad." he said, "But I'm missing one thing." Lars looked at his neck to see he was missing a tie. Lars went to find himself one, a bow tie would do perfectly, if he knew how to tie it. "Oh, crap."

He began to wonder how to do it, so he looked up a tutorial, and he nailed it, after seventeen tries. "Got it." he breathed. He now looked at his completed look, he thought he looked sharp. Now he wondered what A2 would say, hell, he wondered if she was even done. 

*Transition* 

A2 was receiving her new outfit from her tailor. "This should have all the looks you requested." said the tailor, a feminine but buff, dark skinned man, with dyed blonde hair.

"Thanks, Russel. This means a lot to me." responded A2, she smiled towards him.

"No problem, babe. Every gal needs to look her best for her first dance. I mean, can you imagine a girl not even  _trying_ to look good on her first  _date_? It should be illegal." He scoffed. "But anyway, that Lars kid is your date, right?"

"Yeah, this is my first dance with him. It's at a school and all, but, I think it'll be enough. For an android built for fighting like me to get  _this_ much is more than enough."

"Honey, don't think like that. Life is for the living, it doesn't matter if you're an android, if this kid is special to you, cherish every moment with him."

"Well, I guess that's what I'll do."

"And one more thing." A2 looked behind her before walking out the door. "Give this picture to him. It's my own design, I think it would look  _great_ on him. After all, it's based on one of the Tekken outfits."

"Alright, I will, bye Russel."

"Bye, A2. I hope I see you again soon." 

A2 walked out and looked at the photo. It was a black top very similar to a dress shirt and it had a white design on the top back and shoulders, the white pants had a lion design on them, as an added bonus it had a lion belt. "Looks best with red dress shoes and red gloves" said a note at the bottom. A2 grabbed her phone and called Lars. "Just finished getting my outfit, I'm coming home." she said.

"Oh, A2. Do you want me to open you a portal?" asked Lars.

"No, it's okay. I'm not that far from you, I'll walk. Love you."

"Okay then. Love you, too. " 

*Transition*

A2 hung up and Lars put his phone away. He had some time to kill, so he went over to next door. He knocked on the door and 9S came out, "Yeah?" he asked.

"A2 said she'll be walking home. What did 2B say?"

"She said that she'll also walk home. And that leaves us with some time to kill, so what do you want to do?" 

"You wanna go play a song?"

"Sure, I'm down, is Yonah gonna come along with us?"

"Lemme call her." Lars took his phone out, "Yonah, you wanna play something? Yes? Alright, bring your bass."

"Sweet, let's go to the garage." Lars went inside to grab his guitar, 9S grabbed his drumsticks. Lars opened up and Yonah walked through with her bass and they walked over to 9S' garage. They didn't have a car, so the garage as modified to turn into their recording studio for their songs, also storage for 9S' drum set. They plugged their instruments in and 9S got into his seat for the drum set. "What should we play?" he asked.

"How about 'Keep Yourself Alive'?" suggested Yonah. 

"Good idea. Pod-153, begin the song, please." said 9S.

"Beginning." said the pod. The song began and they began playing.

*Later*

The three played right through the first song and kept choosing more songs from Queen and other rock bands. Lars and 9S couldn't help but notice that A2 and 2B were taking a bit longer than usual. As they kept singing along, 2B and A2 came back and watched them play. As they did the rest of the song, 2B and A2 just watched and listened. After the song was over, Lars looked up, "How was the song?"

"It was great." said 2B, 9S silently celebrated from the compliment.

"I thought it was amazing." stated A2, "I'm glad that you know how to play music so well."

"Thanks, A2."

"Well, I should be getting home. I told dad I would only play one song. Can you open a portal for me?" said Yonah as she unplugged her bass and put it back on her back, "Tell me how homecoming goes" They laughed and nodded. Lars opened a portal leading back to her home. She walked through and 9S walked back into his home with 2B. 

"So, can you show me your outfit?" asked Lars.

"Nope. It's supposed to be a surprise." responded A2 playfully. She began walking back while Lars groaned.

"You mean..."

"You'll have to wait before you see it. Sorry, but if I spoil the look, it'll have less of the effect I want it to have."

The next few days were very fast. Lars' anticipation for the dance was killing him. He wondered what A2's dress would look like. She gave him the picture that her tailor gave her. Another thing that pleased him was that he got a call from Zero that she would be performing a few of her songs at the dance. Finally, when the day of homecoming came, Lars got all dressed up in his tailcoat and put a white glove on his left hand, and he knew that he would see the outfit that A2 had hid from him for so long. "You ready to see it?" she asked from behind closed doors.

"Yes, I've waited for a very long time to see this. Don't keep me waiting anymore." Lars replied happily.

A2 came out, she was dressed in a manner that he had never seen before. She wore a white tuxedo vest over a black long-sleeve that were tied with strings at the wrist. A split dress filled out her legs nicely, and could even show one of them if she chose, and she wore stockings with heels. "How do I look?" she asked.

"I don't think I ever seen a woman more beautiful in my whole life." breathed Lars.

"You don't look so bad yourself." she said, "Come on, let's go meet up with 9S and 2B."

The couple went outside to see the android couple, all dressed up and ready to go. 9S wore a tailcoat with shorts instead, and buckled boots. 2B wore a black dress that was similar to her YoRHa uniform, the middle of her chest was a bit exposed and her back was as well. Her gloves' design was very similar to her YoRHa gloves, but the part that struck Lars and A2 the most was the fact that she wore her visor once again.

"2B, you're wearing your visor?" asked A2. 

"I thought it would go well with my clothing. 9S seems to agree with me. Why do you ask?" 2B responded. 

"It's nothing. We're just a bit surprised that you're wearing military grade eye-wear to a school dance." said Lars.

Everyone shared a few laughs before they decided that it was high-time they went. Lars opened up a portal to the front of the school. People who were already there were being checked in case they had illegal substances, alcohol, or weapons. When Lars' group got checked, they had no problem, but the group of guys behind them were apparently caught red handed with some alcohol. They entered the school, and Lars felt his magic be suppressed. "An anti-magic field? Smart." he commented.

"Security measures so one can start anything, huh?" asked 9S, "They're pretty prepared."

"Well, this ain't the time to be dwelling on it, let's dance the night away!" Lars practically shouted. The others smiled and began to dance. Zero was already there, performing some of her songs, and people were already dancing. Many people stared and were captivated by the beauty of 2B and A2. Some either commentated on how Lars and 9S were with woman who looked like grown adults or they commented on how they were so beautiful, it was almost scary. They danced the night away, took breaks, listened to Zero's songs, Lars was even invited to sing with her, and they kept dancing.

"Alright, people! I'm gonna sing a more mellow song, now. For you couples out there, come on to the dance floor and take it away!" said Zero. 2B, 9S, A2, and Lars all went to the dance floor along with other couples and began to waltz slowly as Zero sang a song that was very fitting for lovers' moments. Everyone else watched as the couples danced as if they were in a ballroom. For certain poses, Lars had to use his left arm to be able to hold A2 up, but it worked nonetheless. The four defied gravity and jumped high as they could, shocking everyone who watched. Eventually the song ended and they thought they would take a break. 

Lars took a sip of some soda and sat with his friends. They had been there for two hours, that meant that homecoming was almost at its end. Lars looked at his phone, "10:24, it's almost time." said Lars.

"What time does homecoming end?" asked 2B.

"Eleven, we still have a bit of time."

"Then how about we get a picture after your drink?" asked 9S.

"Sounds great." Lars finished his soda and then they went over to the carousel to get their group picture taken. "Alright, who's up for some more dancing?" asked Lars. The four danced for the remaining time, but finally, the dance came to an end.

"Thank you all for coming today. I hope you all had a good of a time I had and good night!" said Zero. Everyone began to leave, but before they could, several police officers poured into the school, even two military officers. It was Mikhail and Kantress, and they had their weapons with them. 

"No one is to leave." said Kantress. 

"What's going on?"

"Let us leave!"

"We wanna go home!"

"As much as we would like to do that. We believe there are escaped convicts in this area. The safest area is here in this school. They are very dangerous. Everyone is to move into a classroom and turn off all lights until further notice." added Mikhail, "Captain, establish a perimeter around here, they might enter the school, if they do, then we'll catch them."

"Yes, sir." said the Captain. Lars recognized him as Marcus Harrison. As the captain began to order the other police, Lars, along with his friends walked up to Mikhail and Kantress. Zero joined them. As everyone moved into a classroom, Lars thought of questions.

"Mikhail, Kantress. What's going on?" asked Lars.

"Lars? Oh, everybody, it's been a while." said Mikhail.

"That's beside the point, multiple incredibly dangerous escapees are in this area. They're believed to have Magician stones, and from our intel, they're highly capable fighters."

"A magician stone?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, remember how the Jinzo could somehow use their magic inside anti-magic fields?" asked Lars.

"Yeah." 

"Well, they had Magician Stones, tools that could amplify magic enough to be able to break through anti-magic fields, even make the user's magic way more powerful. After the war here, they were made illegal and production of them ceased. They're supposed to be all locked away. How do these escapees have them?"

"We don't know." said Mikhail, "All we know is that all the convicts are armed with them and many of them are war criminals."

"So, what you're basically saying is that a bunch of crazy bastards from the war are in this area, armed with Magician Stones enough to break through an anti-magic field's effects, and this place has a field around it, meaning that if they come here, we're completely fucked?" asked Zero. "Can't they take the field down so we can at least defend ourselves?"

"Right now, we're working on that. But the school officials are saying that it'd be safer if the kids don't try and fight back. Perhaps you could help." said Kantress to Lars. "You may have the authority to be able to override that, or you call the military here."

"No, I'll just talk to the school." said Lars, "Do you know who're leading the escapees?"

"Randy Phillips and Beth Douglas." said Captain Harrison, who had just come back. Lars' heart sank when he heard Beth's name. He felt as if he couldn't help her when she needed it. But he shook his head, "I'll go speak with them." Lars went in and then came out in a minute. "They're not telling me where it is, and they don't want to turn it off, bunch of idiots. Not gonna try and force them either. Which means I gotta do at least one thing." He called Adam for a favor, then hung up. 

Suddenly, Adam and Eve teleported into the school with their uniforms and Lars' sword and arm. "Are you sure you want to stay?" asked Adam. "There are many of them, and they sound quite dangerous from your description."

"No, I feel obligated to stay. After all, this is my school, and Beth is a leader of the little escapee group." Lars and his friends quickly changed and then came back out. Lars fastened his sword to the back of his waist, and equipped his arm, he ad to rely on his technology. He was once again wearing his uniform. "Never thought I would have to wear this so soon." the others came out dressed in their uniforms. 

"We're supposed to be away from the fighting, aren't we?" asked A2, annoyance in her voice.

"If you guys don't wanna fight, I don't blame you. You guys can go back. After all, you all deserve a little peace." said Lars.

"I may be annoyed, but I'm not gonna leave you." the four of them handed their clothes to Adam and Eve, who teleported away and then back. 

"Then we're staying, too." said Eve, "It's been too long since I've rough housed." he said, he cracked his machine joints on his hands. 

"I'm staying right here. This is my school too." stated 9S.

"If 9S is here, then he's going to need a Battler." added 2B.

"You guys, thanks. And I swear, this is the last time we'll be fighting a serious battle, at least for a while." 

"That's reassuring." said A2. 

"Captain, how many troops do we have stationed here?" asked Lars.

"With the ones just added, we have forty-six, but about sixteen of them are guarding classrooms." replied Marcus.

"Forty-seven actually." stated Zero. Lars turned around to see Zero, with her sword in her hand.

"Zero? You should-"

"Leave? No way, you're my little brother, and it's my duty to protect you."

"But you aren't a soldier. You might get killed."

"You should trust me more. Don't worry, I'll be fine. You saw me take Randy down, even if I had magic at that time, I still was quick enough to hit him in a split second." Lars reluctantly nodded, knowing he wouldn't be able to change his sister's mind. He turned back to Marcus

"Naturals?"

"Technically, it'd be only me, but all of us are naturals if we stay in this school. You sure we shouldn't contact the military?"

"No, instead, have the guys on guard duty remain here. We're going to search for them."

"Then let's get underway we'll head out effective immedia-" Kantress was cut off when they heard a loud bang near the school. 

"An explosion?' asked 2B.

Suddenly, loud voices could be heard at the school gates. "They're coming here?" asked Mikhail. He turned to Lars, "Commander, your orders?"

"Everyone, get ready for an attack!" shouted Lars. People in the classrooms all ducked and covered their heads. Lars drew his sword, everyone else got their weapons ready. "Charging them would be suicide like this. The only way that we can do this is fight them in the school. Remember, hold nothing back, kill them if you have to, don't let them get to any of the classrooms." he leaned to Kantress, "Do you know how many?"

"It'll be thirty one of us, versus about ninety escapees."

"I don't like those odds. But we have to fight anyway." the sounds got louder and louder, until there was an explosion at the school's gates. Men and women's laughter could be heard. Some of the officers flinched.

"So? What do we have here?" asked one of them.

"Looks like a bunch of boy-scouts, six soldiers, two weirdos, and an idol." cheered another. "Hey! It's the Minister's son!"

"Oh?" said one loud one. He walked forward, dragging an axe on the floor, sparks following the axe. "It's you..." he growled. It was none other than Randy Phillips. "Ready for some old payback?"

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way." said Lars, "You don't have to die here tonight, Randy. Where's Beth?"

"Right here..." said she as she walked forward, holding several needles. "Ready to get married, my love?"

"Beth, I can still help you." 

*Three Evil Weapons (Extended)*

"Forget it!" she screamed. She then used her super speed run forward, about to stab A2, but Adam kicked her aside. The rest of the escapees roared and began charging. Lars' forces also charge forward.

"I'll take care of Randy!" shouted Zero. She held her sword up with her shoulder and began to clash with Randy. Gunfire began as the police used guns, combat knives, and friction batons. The inmates used any weapon they could find, swords, knives, even sharpened pieces of metal. They began to fight, But the inmates used magic, Lars raised his force-field and stopped a blade of wind from hitting him. He blocked an inmate's sword and punched him in the nose, the escapee stumbled and Lars slashed him, he fell down, lifeless. 

Lars' first kill in a long time had been made. He hadn't taken a life since his battle with Sral, Lars snapped out of it and blocked another inmate's blade. 2B jumped back from an explosion and saw a woman carrying a rifle. 2B materialized and threw her lance right into the rifle, shattering it. She then grabbed the woman and threw her into two other enemies. 2B jumped into the air and used her large sword to kill all three of them with one swing. A2 was fighting nine people at once, they wanted to head towards the classroom, but she defended them. They all jumped on her at once, one of them using gravity. 

A2 saw no other way out of this pile, so her body shook with red energy. As it exploded, she ran around in her berserk mode and killed them one by one. As she zipped around, Kantress blocked a pole with her bow and broke the man's knees with a single kick. She jumped back and fired a single arrow into his heart. The police weren't having much luck, about nine of them had died already. 9S jumped back after blocking a mace and dodged again. He threw his sword but it was hit aside by the spear man. 9S was knocked to the ground and was about to be killed, but a throwing knife came in. 

Marcus' knife hit the man in the artery. He then finished him by shooting him in the head. "We're losing people." he said.

"We have to hold out, everyone is counting on us." said 9S. He grabbed his sword and Marcus grabbed his knife. Adam's opponents like using projectiles. So he activated his absorb shield alongside Eve, and the projectiles were fired right back to the enemies, all of them dying instantly. Eve did the same thing, but the attacks he sent back were physical attacks. Mikhail blocked a shiv and dodged a carbon-fiber projectile.

"We're at a disadvantage here! Captain!" he shouted to Marcus, "Where're our reinforcements? We've already lost more than ten of our guys!"

"They're supposed to be on their way, but they're being attacked by more guys!" responded Marcus.

"You mean there's more?!" Mikhail did a kick flip of the woman and threw a knife. It hit his enemy right in her eye. Mikhail ran forward and bisected her with his blades. Kantress jumped in front of him and shot the other man. 

"Can't we take down the anti-magic field?" she asked Lars.

"If they won't turn it off, then we'll do it by force." he responded, "Nines! Find the field generator, and destroy it!"

"You got it!" 9S began to run off.

"2B go with him!" added Lars. She nodded and began running. Lars sensed something and quickly turned his force-field on, several needles bouncing off. Beth turned her invisibility off and was on the wall of a building. "Not trying to kill me?"

"Of course not, you'll be mine!" she teleported and was right in front of him, inside of the field. Lars quickly turned it off and hit her back. She threw a knife that curved and hit Lars in the back. He took the knife out and began to engage. 

*Transition*

"You know! We could've been something!" shouted Randy as he fired several concentrated chaos shots. Zero ran and they exploded behind her. "We could've been happy together. But no! You and your high standards! Always wanting more out of me! I was the nicest to you!"

"You were a complete creep! I turned you down because you were also a douche to my little brother! Even before you fully knew who he was! So fuck off!" Zero jumped into the air and collided her sword with Randy's axe. She jumped back as Randy took flight to spew more chaos blasts everywhere. But Zero didn't let him, she threw her sword and the blade hit him. As he fell, Zero jumped and grabbed her sword again. 

Suddenly, the night sky turned green. The sky being reflected by the endless water, the deep green was everywhere, the only other hint of color, was the pale white crescent moon. The remaining officers looked around, along with the convicts. "What's going on?"

"A reality marble?" 

"How?"

From the sky, rain began to fall. As it showered, every single Magician Stone was shattered. "What kind of reality marble is this?" asked Randy. 

"One where nothing makes sense." answered a voice. Everything went back to normal, 9S revealed himself on top of a building and 2B was at his side. "The magic field is down. Now the game is more equal."

"Calm down! We still have more guys!" shouted one of them, "Let's kill the rest!" The other convicts cheered. Now there was only fourteen more people who could fight. It was, Lars, A2, 9S, 2B, Adam, Eve, Zero, Mikhail, Kantress, Marcus, and four other officers. Lars threw dark-lances in several directions, some of them hit his opponents, others dodged. Adam came in and slammed his fist into the ground, sending the others back. Lars began to fight them on more even grounds, being able to use his magic. But that didn't mean that they were still troublesome, after all, there were still quite a few of them. 

"Adam, take care of Beth. Don't hurt her, got it?"

"I will try." said Adam as Lars ran off. Knives went into his direction. Adam kicked them into a wall. 

"Hey... You're the owner of Eden." said Beth.

"I suppose I am. But I'm still a Machine Life-Form. I can evolve and learn, and your opponent is me."

*Transition* 

9S threw his sword through a man's hand and threw his lance through the man's head. Someone was going to attack from behind. 2B came and smashed his face in with her combat bracers, then shot it at a woman's stomach. "There's still so many of them." said she,

A2 jumped in holding one by the head, "Can you count how many?" she asked. 

"I count about fifty three left. We took out a lot, but they're still outnumbering us!" shouted 9S as he was knocked back by a person with a make-shift shield made out of concrete.

"9S!" shouted both 2B and A2. They both dodged the person's slow attack and stabbed them in the lungs. As this was happening Zero's head was bleeding a bit.

"I got careless..." she said. "Time to stop holding back." she breathed.

"You were holding back?" asked Randy.

"Don't you think you'd be dead by now?" Zero's head wound began to heal. She sang a verse of a song and in a blink of an eye, the blade of the blade of Randy's axe went flying off. 

"Damn you!" screamed Randy. In another blink of an eye, his arm went flying off. He cupped his wound and screeched as he fell on the ground. Some of his men took notice of this and began running at Zero. As they charged, Zero only looked behind her and jumped on top of one of them, she cut his shoulder and jumped off. She landed on the next and the next, slicing vital parts of their arms. After all of them were taken down, she jumped back in front of Randy.

"I've never killed before. But I'm thinking of you bein my first. So how about it?" she asked, putting her face right in front of Randy's.

"P-please... Don't kill me..." he whimpered. 

"Unfortunately, I don't have the time." said Zero. She turned around to see more of Randy's goons. She clenched her sword, "Who's first?"

*Transition*

Mikhail swung both blades and shot out blades of energy that split into different directions, cutting up two people. Kantress fired her arrows into the air. "Now multiply!" she shouted. The following shower killed five more. "We're not killing enough of them. Even if we have our magic back, we're still getting tired..."

"We have to hold out..." Mikhail panted. Lars jumped in and activated his force-field from incoming projectiles.

"Then let's even out the playing field." said he. Loud roars of engines could be heard as fighter jets flew over the school. They weren't any normal fighters, they were YoRHa flight units. AS they flew, they dropped pods that landed and opened up, YoRHa soldiers coming out of them and surrounding everyone. The flight units all underwent mobile configuration and aimed at all the enemies. Slowly but surely, they began to surrender, they knew that they just couldn't beat the advanced technology of YoRHa. "Give it up!" said Lars in a speaker.

Adam's fight was finishing up around this time. Beth had turned her invisibility on, but Adam could easily track her with his heat tracking. Her speed wasn't any use either, Adam had learned, so when she threw anything, he would activate his absorb shield and add his own. He shot them everywhere and she couldn't evade all of them. She was hit in the legs and was disabled. It was then that several YoRHa soldiers surrounded her, she put her arms up. The fierce battle had ended, and Lars' side had won.

*Later*

The remaining escapees were put into trucks and transported, the students were finally able to go home. The attacks in the city had stopped as well. "What's going to happen to them?" asked Zero.

"Judging from all the men they killed today, they're all probably gonna face the death sentence." responded Marcus as he was being wheeled into an ambulance. 

"All of them?" asked Lars.

"Yeah, all of them. Well, get home guys. You've earned the rest." Marcus saluted one last time before he was wheeled into the ambulance. 

"I'm heading home." said Zero, "Good night..." she began to walk off.

"We should head home, too." said Adam.

"Then let's go..." responded Lars. 

The time had come to put this awful night behind them. Everyone knew that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9S plays drums and the bass, but the drums are dominant. Yonah is a bass player and Lars can play many other instruments other than the guitar.  
> I don't own any of the songs mentioned or played.  
> A2's outfit look's like Mature's clothing from KOF-'98.  
> I'm sorry for the delay, a lot of things have been happening lately.


	6. The Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the holidays. I wonder how the androids will spend them? Oh, wait, I'm the writer, guess I can do something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jesus Christ, my ideas are running dry...  
> Plus, these are all in one chapter because I have a plan for some of the upcoming chapters.

It has been a while since the Homecoming incident, Lars and his friends were all quite exhausted, so they went home and rested. School was cancelled the next week. The week of Halloween. 9S and Lars sat in Lars' part of the house with Yonah. They were just lounging around, pondering on what to do. "Should we go to the arcade?" asked Lars. Before the other two could answer, he said, "No wait, it's closed on Tuesdays." 

"2B and A2 are out, too. So are Adam, Eve, Devola and Popola." added 9S.

"I asked Kainé if she could come over, but she has a match coming up and had to train." 

"Oh yeah, she's a professional fighter now?" asked 9S. 

"Yeah, she's quickly becoming one of the best. People have even called her a genius."

"That's pretty awesome, I mean, she started recently, and she's already really famous." said Lars, "But that doesn't solve what we should do." They all sat in silence for a few more minutes before 9S had an idea.

"Hey, it's October twenty-eighth right?" he asked.

"Yeah? You have something in mind?" asked Lars, "I'm all ears."

"There's a holiday coming up I read all about, Halloween, right?"

"Oh yeah! Halloween comes up in three days! We're still young too!" said Yonah, "We should go trick-or-treating! This'll be your fourth time in San Gabriel, right?"

"Yeah, it'll be fun. 2B, A2, should come along too. What about Devola and Popola?" asked Lars.

"We would like to come." said Popola, walking through the door with Devola, they held a few vegetables. 

"Sounds fun, we've never had a chance to celebrate any holidays. Adam and Eve won't be able to, they have the cafe and all, but they told us we can go." added Devola, "They decorated the place and it looks fantastic." she chuckled.

"So, what do you have in mind, Nines?" asked Yonah.

"I'm thinking we make our costumes. We have a ton of time don't we?" responded 9S.

"Then let's get to it. We got the materials." said Lars.

They all began on making their costumes. 9S thought he would do something very complex for 2B, a knight costume would do, she _did_ like fantasy and medieval things. For himself, he would go for a vampire costume. Yonah decided she would make herself a costume that resembled a cat-like devil. Whenever Lars and A2 went to the library, he saw he reading about the medieval ages of Europe, and all about fantasy worlds, just like 2B. So he just knew he also had to make a costume resembling a knight. As for himself, he would design his costume after a steampunk man. Devola and Popola drew out some lovely dresses with several extensions.

After they were done drawing them out, they began to make them. 9S sewed the cloth together very carefully, paying attention to every detail, the armor was made of foam and carbon fiber, nice and decorated with gold accents. The dress underneath was cloth and a mix of gold and black, it was perfect. The overall design was like her YoRHa uniform. As for himself, his cape was detailed like a bat wing at the bottom, the collar stuck up, and he would wear a dress shirt and long pants underneath, he would also adorn himself with fake fangs. He even decorated Pod-153 to look like a jack-'o-lantern. Yonah's costume was basic, but very detailed at the same time. She had cat ears and a small jacket with wings. She put together a little pike and had a skirt with a tail and colorful stalkings.

Lars put together armor made out of foam and carbon fiber, as well. The under suit was cloth, since it was a fantasy costume, he made a part for her back to be exposed, Lars was sure she wouldn't mind. She had long gloves that would cover most of her arms. The armor was completely black, it was her front torso, and covered her legs all the way up to her thighs. He didn't want her to not be seen, so he placed gold lining on the costume. For his costume, he searched and found a top hat and steam-punk goggles. He then fashioned a white dress shirt vest, a black dress shirt and a white tie, and dress pants. 

"We managed to do all that really easily." chuckled Devola. Everyone tried their costumes on. 9S had done very well for his first time, he looked like a basic vampire, a really damn good one. Yonah looked really cute in her cat-demon costume. Devola and Popola's dresses were modeled after a fantasy setting and had sleeves to cover the shoulders and the arms. 

"I think they're really good." complimented Yonah.

"Why thank you!" said Popola, "This will be our first Halloween." 

"Then let's make it a good one." said Lars, "Feels like forever since I've celebrated Halloween." He got a call from A2.

"Hello?"

"2B and I are done grocery shopping. Can you open a portal?" she asked on the other side.

"Sure thing, we have a surprise for you guys." He opened a portal in the kitchen and both of them stepped through. 

"So what's the surprise?" asked 2B.

"There's a holiday that humans celebrate. It's called Halloween, people go out in costumes and get candy." said 9S, "So we decided to make costumes, I made this for you, figured I'd keep it simple." 2B looked at her fantasy knight costume.

"Let me put it on." she said. Pod-042 put up a curtain and everyone heard some things moving around and being taken off. The curtain then disappeared and 2B stood there with her armor, which was perfection for 9S, "It fits really nicely. Not to mention, it's comfortable. Thank you, 9S. You really are outstanding, I like it."

9S' face lit up with a bright smile. "Really?"

"Yes, it's great." 2B now had a smile herself, she then kissed 9S as a sign of affection. 9S silently celebrated. 

"Well then, I'll try mine on as well." said A2. She walked into the bathroom, it took a bit longer to come out. But when she did, Lars thought that the results were glorious. A2 was stunning, and at the same time, incredibly badass. A2 herself looked a bit stunned of how much work Lars put into it, "Y-you really outdid yourself..." she breathed, "It's amazing." she added.

"You and 2B really like medieval fantasy stuff, so I thought that, I would do the same that 9S did." responded Lars.

"Well, in any case. Thank you, I like it." 

Lars just smiled, "Now it's our turn." he and 9S nodded, they walked into the bedroom and changed, when they came out, 9S flicked his cape and imitated a vampire hiss. Lars tipped his hat and smiled. 9S' vampire costume looked really good on him, it was if he was a young count. Lars really looked like a steampunk man, he even added a leather trench coat with gears to really sell the idea of him being a steampunk man. "It's not complete yet, I'm gonna decorate my civilian arm. It'll have gears and tubes." 

"Sounds great." stated 9S, "I'll help you out with the construction, though we're not that good at painting."

"Then leave that to us." said Popola, "Devola and I are pretty good at it. We'll get it done by the time you need it." 

"Thank you." said Lars. "Then let's get to it!" 

The rest of the day was Lars and his friends working on his arm, until it was time for them to go home. The arm was already nearly complete. 

"So, Halloween, how did it originate?" asked A2 as she sat on the bed. Lars thought about it for a bit.

"I think it was a Celtic holiday, Or at least something close to that." responded Lars. He finished putting his pajamas on. "Any who, this is only gonna be my fourth time in San Gabriel. I used to do it in Solvang, but it was always more fun with other friends." 

"So, when were the times you did go to San Gabriel?"

"I'd say the first time was when I was four, then, seven, and when I was eleven, it wasn't all that fun, you can guess why."

"Oh, I see." said A2, "But, I have a feeling that you'll have more fun this time, right?" she asked.

"Well of course, I have all of you." Lars sat next to her. So she grabbed him and lay him down, then was on top of him.

"And I'll always be there with you." she said, before kissing him. "I promise."

Lars smiled and kissed her again, after that, they went to sleep.

The next few days passed as if they were nothing, they would watch Kainé's match up close. She won spectacularly, she managed to pull off a maneuver with a electric black hole. It swallowed up her opponent's weapon and she finished him off with two slashes. After the match, they all went out to eat, "Guess I'll be joining you guys for Halloween." said Kainé.

"So you guys made your own costume?" asked Emil.

"That's right." said Yonah, "Did you make yours?"

"Oh, I plan to just go in my other body. I know it gives people the heebie-jeebies, so I think it's perfect." 

"Well, don't go out of your way to scare people, Emil." said Kainé as she stroked his hair.

"Kainé, are you dressing up?" asked A2.

"I'm wearing... something. You'll see."

"I think I know where this is going." stated Emil.

That night, everyone got dressed in their costumes. 2B and A2 in their armors and 9S and Lars in their own. They went over to Devola and Popola's part of the house and knocked. They came out in their dresses. Lars' arm had gears at all his major joints, the tubes on the forearm attached to his shoulder, making him look more mechanical. 2B and A2 shined in the moonlight, 9S looked like a true count now that it was night. 

"You all ready to go?" asked Lars? They all nodded happily and Lars opened the portal to Nier's home, there were already children going around, laughing, getting treats, getting scared, and all around having a good time. "We'll be trick-or-treating around this area, they got really good candy." A2 Popola knocked on the door and it opened. 

"Hello, everyone." said Nier, dressed in his mercenary/berserker armor. "Yonah, Kainé, and Emil are all ready." the other three came down. Yonah in her costume, Emil in his other body, and Kainé in some kind of lingerie. 

"That's... quite the outfit..." said Lars.

"Yup, get used to it." she responded, "Now, let's go." 

They all went off. Getting candy, talking to each other, telling each other a good joke. They were all around having a great time. 2B, A2, and 9S were astonished by what they got, they've had chocolate before, but they never seen these new kinds exclusive to Halloween. They came across this one house where all of them got king size bars. Even Kainé, even though she was basically their chaperone. Emil would go around scaring some kids for laughs, and he didn't hurt a single one of them.

"You guys wanna hear a story of what happened to me once in Solvang?" asked Lars.

"Oh, I love this one." said Kainé, "But, no spoilers."

"Alright, tell us." responded 2B.

"Here goes, I was about five, an itty-bitty kid, and I was a werewolf. I was out trick-or-treating with my parents and I was having a ton of fun, but something happened. I was walking around as usual and I was getting a ton of candy. But then, my mom got a call and had to walk a bit away, my dad held on to me, but then some rival martial artist came up to him and began to ask questions that absolutely aimed to piss off my dad. My dad let go of me and I got kinda scared and ran away, somehow my dad didn't notice. I ran to the woods nearby. I stayed there for a while, but I saw Will-O'the-Wisps and started chasing them."

"After that, I got lost in the woods and encountered a group of teenagers who asked if I was lost. They were dressed in really scary costumes so I got really scared and started running away again. They chased and i thought they wanted to eat me or something. I now know they were trying to make sure I wasn't getting hurt. I fell into the lake and one of them dove in and saved my life. After that, I stayed with them for a while and they bought me back to Solvang." Lars paused a bit to take a breath, "Well it turns out they were my dad's students and when they got back, the rival was all beaten up and mom and dad were searching frantically for me. After they got me back, my Halloween kinda ended right there, they were worried sick and I was exhausted from the whole ordeal. Anyway, that's the spookiest Halloween I had."

The others didn't know what to think, but Kainé knew exactly what to say, "Well, I'm sure as hell glad those students were there to save you. It would suck ass for you not to be around." 

"That sums up our thoughts." added 9S.

"Well, thanks guys. Anyway, the night is still young, let's keep going!" exclaimed Lars.

They all cheered and kept going, the night was an excellent night for Lars' preference.

 

 

*Time Skip to November*  

 

 

A very long time had passed since the Halloween, now it was yet another holiday. One that involved a lot of food. The last Thanksgiving that Lars celebrated was a bit disappointing, and that's an understatement. It was just him and his father, hoping that the war would end soon and that Rachel would come home. But now, he had many people he could call over. He even got a call from White that she was to take a breather and let some of the other officials handle things, just for a week. Operators 21O and 6O were also free, as was Anemone, Mikhail, and Kantress. 

"So, Nines, I've got an idea." said Lars.

"Yeah? What is it?" 9S paused his game. 

"Today's Thanksgiving, and mostly everyone is free. So I was thinking that we could cook a huge feast for everyone, you know, now that all of you guys can eat whatever you want without harm, thanks to your new generators. But, you don't have to do this if you don't want to?"

"No, I'm all in. But who do you mean by 'we'?"

"Well, you, me, Devola, Popola, Nier, Adam, Eve, Zero, 2B, A2, wait, she had errands today. Oh! And Kainé."

"Wait, Kainé can cook?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, we've just never seen her do it much. Anyway, come on this'll definitely be fun."

They walked outside and gathered up the members required in their home area first. Then, it was off to Nier and Zero's houses. They gathered up the remaining three members and began formulating a plan. "Alright, to get all the ingredients required, we're going to need to split up into five groups of two. After that, we'll meet up at my house at four, to begin cooking." said Nier, "But first, we need to know what we're going to make, and how much." Nier was completely on board with Lars' idea. 

"We're absolutely going to get several kinds of birds." said Eve, "How about turkey?"

"That's a given." responded Zero, "Duck and chicken sound good too?" Everyone agreed and wrote down on the list. 

"Potatoes, all kinds of styles." said 2B. Everyone wrote that down as well. 

"I'd say something like deer would be great." said Kainé.

"Well do you know where you can get it?" asked Lars.

"I know a pretty good hunting spot."

"Deer is added then." 

They kept adding foods to the list and managed to not go over their budget. "Alright, let's get this in order." stated Nier, "Lars and Zero, you're in charge of meats. 2B and 9S, you both handle the vegetables. Devola and Eve, are in charge of spices. Popola and Adam have the deserts handled. Finally, me and Kainé will get the deer. Any questions? Now's the time." Nobody asked anything, they just nodded and smiled. "Alright then, let's do this and make this Thanksgiving amazing!" They all raised their fists and cheered. Lars opened portals for everywhere and everyone went in.

*Hours later*

They all arrived back at the house, except for Nier and Kainé. "Okay, we have enough for our entire party." said Zero, "We got everything, little brother."

"Hey, where are Nier and Kainé?" asked 9S out of the blue.

"Now that I think about it, where  _are_ they?" asked 2B, "This is the time we should be meeting up. Maybe they're having some difficulty."

*Transition*

"Kainé! Watch out!" shouted Nier. Kainé jumped back from the bear that attacked her. She managed to get away, except for the small graze. Nier signaled to Weiss and out of the book came the Beast-Lord. Kainé drew her weapons.

"This bear must  _really_ want out catch." said Weiss.

"Well this fucker isn't getting it." suddenly Kainé had an idea. "Hey, Nier, how about we add bear to our menu tonight. I heard that it makes great stew." she said.

"Hell yeah, let's do this." They both charged and Nier easily blocked the bear's claw. Kainé jumped over the bear's head and sliced it's back. The bear gave out one last roar before dying completely.

"Now to get the skins off and all that shit."

"Then let's get to it, time isn't on our side right now." stated the floating book.

*Later*

Everyone was waiting when Lars got a call. "I'll open it right now." he said. When he did, Nier and Kainé came through, except they had a bear with them. "What in the-?"

"We ran into some trouble, is bear-stew too late to be on the menu?" asked Kainé proudly.

"Nor one bit." said Eve.

They all immediately got to work. Lars and Zero began rinsing and chopping the meat they had, slicing them into pieces people could eat. 2B and 9S also began to rinse and chop. Everyone began collaborating with each other to put together the night's feast. The two sets of twins all worked on their own individual fields, Devola and Eve chopped and measured the spices needed for every dish, Lars and Zero would occasionally drop in and give them the meat to use the spices on. That or 2B and 9S came and dropped the vegetables off for the spices to be put to use. Whilst this happened, Adam and Popola put together their famous apple pie and velvet cakes, along with other smaller cakes and other assortments of sweets.

As the ones in the kitchen cooked, Nier and Kainé worked on skinning and butchering their kills. They cut off all the meat they could and counted how much they would need for the night, the rest could be stored or given to their friends. After they were done, the both of them went inside the house to help cook. As this was happening, the rest of the party started to come in. White came in, dressed rather formally, but she liked dressing like that. She wore a white dress and a black jacket on top of it. 6O and 21O accompanied her, they were dressed in their uniforms.

"Make yourself at home, Ma'am." said Nier.

"Oh, White will do. There's no need to be so former today." she chuckled, "How is my son doing?"

"He's doing great. His dad sure taught him well."

"Then I'm looking forward to eating what he has prepared." she smiled. "I will go sit down."

"Wow, 21O, we're inside a human's home." said 6O, "This is amazing."

"Yes, it sure is." 21O responded.

"Oh, come on! Admit it, you're excited, too! You're wearing your veil to hide your smile, aren't you!" 21O said nothing.

"Hey, 21O!" Lars called, "Tale off your veil, that's an order."

"Sir, I must protest-"

"You heard him, 21O." added White, "Now  _I'm_ ordering you to take your veil. If your superiors can show their smile, surely you must show your smile as well."

21O didn't say anything. She just slowly removed her veil to show a badly hidden smile. They all laughed upon seeing her smile. A2 was next to come in, "Oh,everyone." she said.

"A2, you're here." said Lars happily. "Think you can help us out a bit?"

"Sure thing." said A2, "So, what can I do?"

She received her instructions and began. About half-an-hour later, Anemone, Mikhail, and Kantress all came in. They were all in civilian clothing, Mikhail and Kantress still wearing long-coats, but they took them off. "Hello everyone." said Anemone.

"Wow, it sure smells amazing." stated Mikhail.

"Well, you guys are just in time." said Kainé, "All the food's about ready. Emil! Bring Yonah down!"

As they all helped set the table, Lars and A2 took out the turkey, it was perfect. The table was filled to the brim with food. As they all talked, Emil and Yonah helped pour everyone drinks. As everyone was about to eat, Lars hit his glass to get everyone's attention. "Everyone! I would like to say something!" They all went silent. "Thanks to all of you guys, I was able to adjust to a normal life again. Even better, the Kingdom's in better shape, thanks to mom." everyone clapped as White had a humble look on her face. "I was also able to deliver peace to all my comrades, still soldiers indeed, but they don't have to constantly fight a pointless war. And it would've never happened if it weren't for Adam and Eve. If they had not ever bought me to that world, I would've never made so many more wonderful friends. It's all thanks to you that I'm where I am. Thank you." 

Everyone cheered and clapped. "Now, let's eat!" Everyone began to dig into their plates, and they had feasted the entire night. Nier, Kainé, Zero, Devola, Popola, 6O, 21O, Anemone, and White all ended up getting drunk, and it was quite the funny scene. They danced around and made everyone laugh.

"Well, this is quite the surprise. To think I would see the Minister like that." said Kantress, "Jeez, did not know she could hold her alcohol."

"Hey, 2B?" 9S asked.

"What is it?" she responded.

"Remember what Popola said about it not being a good thing when she drank?"

"Yes. I think it really  _was_ best if she couldn't get drunk."

"Oh, my. Popola really is wild tonight." added Adam.

The rest of the night went by quickly. As everyone cleaned up and went home, Lars couldn't help but feel sad. He sat on the rooftop. "You're thinking about your parents aren't you?" asked someone behind him. It was his adoptive mother, White.

"Hi, mom." he responded.

"Where ever they are, I'm sure they're happy that you're having such a grand time with everyone."

"Yeah, I just wish that they were here to experience it with us, you know?"

"I understand. It's alright to be sad, but at the same time, don't let it drag you down. An android comrade of mine once told me that." they sat together for a bit more, talking about what a mother and her child would be talking about. "It's getting late, I should get going. Good night, my child. And thank you."

"For what?"

"Being my son." she then walked off.

"Huh. Thanks for being my mom."

 

 

*The Christmas Season*

 

 

It was the last day before winter break, Lars, 9S, and Yonah were on a team match against another team. It was one on ones until one team had no more members. Yonah was up, she had already taken down two of the members of the enemy team, and was fighting the third. There was no magic in this fight allowed, and Yonah managed to gain a huge advantage because of this, her being a Natural. Yonah, at this point, was quite tired, but she could still fight. Her opponent ran forward and collided his monk's spade with Yonah's sword. They broke and he swung his spade again, this time, it broke the blade of the Moonfire right off.

"My sword!" shouted Yonah. She got pretty pissed and kicked her opponent so hard, the force sent him off his feet and right out of the duel-limits. The match ended and Yonah looked at her now broken blade. "Aw man..." she said "I really liked this sword."

"Hey, don't worry." said Lars, "Look, we'll get you a new one."

"Swords are expensive enough." she said, "It's alright."

"No, seriously. We'll get you a new one. It's a promise and you can't change out minds." stated 9S, "Don't worry about it." The two boys took off before Yonah could say another word. "She's silently thanking us isn't she?"

"Yup." responded Lars. They got into the locker room and began to change. 

"Is it really healthy for a person your age to have that type of build?" asked 9S. "I read something that said it wasn't exactly healthy for adolescents to be pushing their bodies so hard."

"Who knows? I did it to get bullies off my back, then it just became a regular thing. I kept my body up, and it just kept going from there. Plus, I fought in a war and went way beyond the boundaries of any normal human. I get the feeling that I won't be living _that_ long."

"Well, I just hope you aren't around for too short of a time." said 9S.

"Hell yeah. Now let's not have this talk dampening the holiday mood. Let's go home." they left the school shortly after and then decided it would be a good time to go holiday shopping. They ran into Nier, Yonah, Emil, and Kainé. They were all also going out holiday shopping. "Hello everyone." said Lars, "I assume we're all here for the same reason."

"You bet." responded Nier, "Don't worry, we got the eight of you all covered, won't tell you what your presents are though." 

"That's just fine. Well, I don't want to spoil any surprises, so I'll finish up here and go to the next location."

"See you later then." 9S and Lars finished buying gifts near the end of the day. 

*Later*

"We definitely got a lot done, now to wrap them all." stated 9S. They spent much of the their time at home wrapping their presents. 9S and Lars even had presents for each other, but of course, they did not tell each other what they were.

*Few days later to Christmas day*

Lars woke everyone up early to make them open up their presents. It seemed that everyone had done their own research and got each other presents. Lars received many from everyone. As they were opening up their gifts to each other, the others came in. Lars even received a gift from his adoptive mother, it was a silver ring that once belonged to her. She just never wore it, so she gave it to him. "Oh, Yonah, you know how your sword broke?" asked Lars.

"Well, yeah." she said, "You actually got me a new sword?"

"Nines?" 9S bought up a package, it was quite long. Yonah ripped open the wrapping paper to see a box with Japanese Kanji on it. She opened it to see a purple and green colored sword with a black hilt. The sharpness of the sword was like nothing before. 

"Is this... Oh. My. GOD!" she suddenly screamed. "This is the Nobuyoshi! This sword is the only one of this type in existence, and you somehow got hold of it? How? How did you do that?"

"Well, Nines and I went to Japan for a short while to see if we could find such a sword. We originally went to a sword smith and asked him to make a sword of the highest quality. But he said that the sword I was looking for can't exactly be made by him. Then he told us a story about a poet who felt as if he needed more talent. He was walking one day when he saw a very beautiful sword that he just couldn't resist taking. So he bought it and it turns out some kind of spirit was in the sword, and it offered him more talent, so the poet made a pact. But he ended up losing everything over time, even with his talent, so he killed himself with the very same sword. I then got a call that the Asia's Emperor wanted to see me."

"He gave me this sword as a gift as a friend to my mother. A symbol of good will, if you would. He also told me that the sword smith told us the story on purpose, and it was all arranged. I told him that I couldn't except such a legendary sword, and he just told me, 'Then give it to someone who will'. That's when we thought of you."

"W-wow." uttered Yonah, "The Nobuyoshi." 

"That's really cool, Yonah." exclaimed Emil.

"Now with the right sword, you can finally learn that wind-technique." added Weiss, "You couldn't do that with the Moonfire could you?"

"Nope, the wind technique I wanna learn needs a specific blade, a katana is perfect, thank you two so much!" She gave both of them a hug.

"Well, I have something for you, 9S." said 2B. 

"Oh, what a coincidence. So do I!" 9S gave 2B a wrapped book. She opened it and saw that it was a book all about the medieval ages and how the wars between the elves and humans back. It also had the brief history of the hundred years war, fought between elves and humans, go figure. "I always see you reading about the medieval era, so I bought you this book with a ton of information on it! The library doesn't have this stuff."

"Thank you very much, Nines." said 2B, "I'm glad you got this for me. Now, let me show you what I have for you." 2B took out some kind of box. "I thought you would like these." 

9S ripped the wrapping paper off and saw that his gift were headphones. They were the latest model and soundproof unless 9S pressed a button to activate the microphone on the outside. It would lower the music and hear the outside, if he wanted to. "Wow! These are the newest ones. How'd you know?"

"Well I figured since your earbuds malfunctioned and stopped working, I figured I would get you a gift to replace them. Do you like it?"

"I love it, 2B. Thank you!" 9S gave 2B a kiss on the lips. She kissed him back. 

"Well, since they're exchanging gifts, I might as well give you yours." said Lars to A2. He gave her a small little box. "Merry Christmas, A2." She didn't say anything. All she did was open up the box to reveal a golden necklace with an emerald center. 

A2 looked at Lars, "This is beautiful... Thank you so much."

"Don't worry about it. And don't worry about the price either."

"Well, I have a little something for you myself." A2 took out another box and gave it to Lars. He opened up the box and saw a bracelet, and froze up. It was made of carved silver with a lion somewhere within the carving. "Do you like it? I found it at a pawn shop and thought it would be perfect for you."

"A2... this belonged to my father... He lost it one day, a gift from my mother, but she forgave him. And now I have it back. Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me." he teared up a bit, his father's bracelet was now in his possession.

The day only got better as Lars spent it all with his family.

Yes, family, not just friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's been crazy for me lately.  
> Halloween costumes are based off fan arts btw. I own none of them just for clarification.  
> Didn't bother going over most of the presents, it would take too long.  
> Yeah, I know, holiday chapter in May is weird.  
> I promise that Lars won't be 14 forever.


	7. So He's Finally Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars' birthday has finally reached him. Much has happened whilst he was a fourteen year old boy, but now, he is finally fifteen. After all, life must go on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's official, he's older now. Not that it really matters.

The new year has come and gone. It was now 2018, and three months in at that. The date was March second, a single day before Lars' birthday. To be honest, it felt a tad bit strange for Lars to finally celebrate his birthday. As for him, it has been more than a year since he celebrated. More like sixteen months, the question of time being distorted in other universes still baffled him. Suddenly, as he was in his train of thought, he could swear he heard someone calling him. "...Lars... ey Lars...!"

"Huh?"

"Snap out of it, we're up." said 9S.

"Oh, right." said he. Their music teacher had waited for this. The project was a cover song, they would receive extra-credit if it were in another language. They played a song from a show called "Kamen Rider Wizard". The song's name was "Mystic Liquid", since the cover was done by, 2B, Zero, Kainé, Devola, and Popola. Lars asked if they could come in. 

"Are they available?" asked their teacher.

"Yes. We promise they won't do anything." said Yonah, "Please?"

"Well then, by all means." The three of them celebrated and Lars opened up a portal, the girls walking right through. The song needed an extra guitarist, so A2 was along with them, with  _her_ own guitar. "You three continue to outdo yourselves don't you?"

"Yup, it's in our nature, Mr. May." responded 9S as everyone else set up. He sat down at his drums. Some people took notice of Kainé being one of them and recognized her as a professional fighter, others saw Zero, the model and idol singer. And they even recognized Devola and Popola from Eden Cafe. They cheered as they began to play. It sounded majestic, five beautiful women's heavenly voices in sync and every beat in it's right place. Yonah's bass skills were right on point. 9S' beats were perfectly timed. Lars and A2's guitarist skills blew everyone away. 

As they finished, the whole class was silenced. Then erupted into thunderous cheers for the amazing showcase of voice and instruments that had just been presented to them. Mr. May clapped and cheered along with the rest of the class. "Once again, you show yourselves to shine above the rest. Excellent work, everyone." He turned to the rest of the class, "Well then, it would appear we will conclude this project ton Monday. Class dismissed a few minutes early. Oh, you lot!" he pointed at Lars' group. "I just got a message that you six can stay for the day, will you?"

9S looked at 2B and the other women. "Well? Do you wanna watch us fight in combatants?" asked he. They all looked at each other.

"I don't see why not. I want to see that wind technique." responded Kainé, "Seriously, ever since you got the Nobuyoshi, you've been training your ass off, Yonah."

Yonah blushed a bit and said back, "Well, I'm a Natural. So I should learn something the equivalent to magic right?" They shared a few chuckles. They thanked Mr. May for letting them stay and headed off to combatants.

"You guys go sit in the spectator area. We'll go get changed and grab our gear, then you'll see Team Enix in action." said Lars to A2.

"We look forward to it, don't hurt the others too bad." she responded. Lars chuckled in return to her joke, "No really, good luck."

Lars waved and headed off to the locker room. After they got changed they watched a few matches before they were called up to their match. The enemy team was Team Pouvoir Ruiné, a team made of one boy and two girls. "Rules?" asked the instructor. Yonah played a game of rock, paper, scissors and won. 

"Only one magic allowed." she said.

The other team thought about it. "Force-field." said their leader.

"Orb." said another.

"Invisibility." said the last one.

"Alright and you two?" asked the instructor to Lars and 9S.

"I'll pick reality." said 9S.

"And I'll have lightning."

"Alright then. Pain absorber is at four . More than a sting this time. Two minute match! Good luck, popping invincibility!" He threw the charm into the air, and it exploded.

*Ikari Warriors Theme '98* 

The two teams wasted no time at running each other. Yonah took the leader of Team Pouvoir Ruiné. "Gotta admit, you're pretty brave for taking me on!" said he.

"Don't underestimate us Naturals, Baptiste!" retorted Yonah. She slashed back with her blade so fast that even after Baptiste evaded, a cut remained on his chest. He looked at his wound and then back to evade her next attack. As she was fighting against Baptiste, Lars ans 9S took on their opponents who decided to work together. They had some kind of dance formation. The two girls lined up, the one in the back had a spear whilst the one in front had two sai's.

"Looks they got some kind of formation." said 9S, "You got any way to deal with them?"

"Yeah. Charge up your reality-marble." responded Lars. They split up and began blocking the two opponent's weapons. As they clashed against the two other members. The other women were cheering in the spectator area.

"Don't let them get too close, Lars!" shouted A2.

"Take 'em down!" cheered Zero.

"You can do it, Nines!" called 2B.

"C'mon, Yonah, show us that wind technique!" yelled Kainé. "Show us that your training paid off!" 

"What is she talking about?'" asked Baptiste.   

"Let me show you!" Yonah jumped into up and slashed the air, sending a blade of wind towards Baptist. He raised his force-field but the wind blade broke right through and it hit him and sent him right off his feet, when he got up, a nasty gash was on his chest. He looked back up at Yonah to see her running towards him and he bought his sword down on her, but she swept the ground with her sword making a full circle. A tornado rose up and sent Baptiste flying into the air, then Yonah swung the Nobuyoshi down, sending a wave of wind and sending Baptiste back on the ground, knocking him out. 

Kainé cheered along with the others, clearly impressed by Yonah's newly learned techniques. On the other hand, Lars evaded an energy orb and cart-wheeled back from another attack. "Condensed energy..." he muttered. She fired the same orb at him. Lars dodged and then blocked her spear with his sword. He was using his Type-4O sword, so he pulled the trigger and cut her spear right in half. She jumped back and began just barraging him with the orbs. This in turn forced Lars to either evade or hit them out of the air. 9S had his sword swing around him by itself because his opponent was now invisible, but he made sure she couldn't get near him. 

"Let's rock-'n-roll." said 9S with a smile. His eyes were now green and the entire Colosseum was now in a reality-marble. The rain fell, Lars' and 9S' opponents couldn't use their magic anymore. "Now Lars!" shouted 9S. Lars threw aside his sword and touched the water, surging electricity through the entire area, but only hitting their enemies. They fell to the ground, fried to a crisp. The reality marble shut down and the members of Pouvoir Ruiné began getting back up.

*Fade* 

The match had ended. "Team Enix is the winner. Team Pouvoir Ruiné loses ten points. Very impressive Yonah, not many can do that technique of yours." said the instructor, "Team Black Fang and Team Aqua Lust, you guys are up next." The three walked began to walk up to others, but Team Pouvoir Ruiné stepped in their way.

"That was really impressive." said their leader, "So, you can match magic without using it?" 

"Yeah." responded Yonah.

"That's really cool." said he before leaving to get his wounds tended. 

They walked back fully to their friends. "That was amazing." said Zero. "You guys really  _are_ great fighters aren't you?"

"Naturally. I mean, we're  _still_   part of YoRHa. Just off duty right now." said 9S, "Plus, any data on combat is kept inside my memory even though I'm a scanner."

"Next match is coming up, personally, I'm rooting for Black Fang, from what you tell me, they almost never win." said A2.

"I think they won like, once or twice." responded Lars.

"Still not that good, not at all." added 2B. They just watched the rest of the day. After the day ended and they all went their separate ways. Devola and Popola went to go help at Eden, Zero flew off with Mikhail, Kainé and Yonah went home. 2B and 9S decided that they had to go run an errand, so they left as well. Leaving only Lars and A2.

"You feel like walking home?" asked Lars.

"Sure." Lars and A2 strolled down the sidewalk. Passing by some other students, who said hello or nothing at all. "Tomorrow is your birthday isn't it?"'

"Hm? Oh, yeah." responded Lars, "I'm finally gonna be fifteen. Did you know my name was originally gonna be Lage?"

"Why is that?"

"Well, I was kinda born on a cruise. My parents decided to go on a cruise for a vacation, but didn't plan for my mom to go into labor while they were at sea. So when she did, I was born on that cruise. They were originally going to name me 'Lage' because I think it means that I'm from the sea, but they decided not to. So I was named 'Lars' instead. When they got back to the what was  the U.S at the time, they had to get my citizenship forms filled out." 

"Oh, is that so. Did your parents have any other names in mind?"

"I think they considered 'Levi'."

"I see, well, in any case. I'm glad that you have your name. To me, it has a certain charm to it. A name with a single syllable, it just somehow works for you." said A2 with a smile. "Come on, let's get boba, my treat."

"You've developed quite a liking of it, haven't you?"

"Well, yeah. It tastes good, depending on where you go, plus, I think the pearls are a nice touch. I should do something special for you tomorrow." 

"You don't have to. It's alright." responded Lars.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's alright."

After they got their drinks, they finally got home. They played some Monster Hunter Together with 2B and 9S, who did not disclose what the errand was. The rest of the day was quite relaxing. Games, and quality time with the ones he loved. 

*Hours later*

It was now night time. Around eleven. Lars and A2 climbed into bed, they both went to sleep. But after about three hours, A2 woke up and was unable to sleep again. Something was bothering her, so she decided that she would go for a run to some where, that usually cleared up her mind. A2 grabbed her phone and went for a run. It was beginning to rain, she put on some music and began to run. She went all the way to the Rose Bowl Stadium, when she got there thought on a bench in the rain. She usually went for runs to clear her mind, but she just couldn't do it this time, just what was bothering her? 

As the rain fell, A2 just sat there and kept thinking. Every drop fell on her head, it was getting quite cold, two in the morning and it was raining. A2 thought about everything she could. As he song ended, she looked at her phone to switch to the next song. But something caught her eye, something that made her realize what was troubling her. It was March third, that in turn made her realize. Even though Lars said that she didn't have to do anything, she still felt as if she had to do something special. After all, he is her first and only love, and she just couldn't turn this opportunity down.  

A2 got up and began to go home. She was going to do something special, but what to do was the question, A2 began to run home but she heard three sets of footsteps approach. She wouldn't have thought anything about it, but she stopped when they said something. "What's a cutie like you doing out this late in the rain?" one of them asked. A2 didn't say anything, she just glanced back and then prepared to start running back. But one of the men stood in front of her.

"Hey, come on. Don't leave us. How about you come  _with_ us? Dry yourself off at our place?" he smiled.

"No thank you. I'm going home. Please stand aside." responded A2.

"Come on. Just come with us, it's dangerous out here." said the first man.

"Like I said. I appreciate the offer, but I'm going home."

"That wasn't a suggestion." said the man suddenly. It was obvious they were up to no good, so A2 thought she could have some fun.

"You wanna dance? Fine. Don't break too quickly now." said A2, a devious tine to her voice.

*A Few Minutes Later*

One man lay with his face in the dirt. The second man had his arms stretched all the way to his back until they could touch each other. The first man's leg's were completely broken, he would never walk again. A2 took out her phone and called in an ambulance for those men. "Don't worry, you'll all live. But, maybe that'll teach you to not go and try to harass anyone." said A2 before running back home. 

When she got back to San Gabriel, the heavy rain had softened to a mere drizzle. She quickly went over to the other houses and knocked on the doors. After gathering everyone, she began. "It's Lars' birthday today. I want to do something for him. Can I ask for your help?" she asked.

"Though I don't see the importance of it, if it's for him, then sure. He's done plenty for us, it's time we return the favor." said 2B.

"Then what should we do?" asked 9S happily. "I personally think that we should to an amusement park."

"That's not a bad idea." added Adam, "How about we also go to a place that has sentimental value to him?"

"Alright, that sounds like a plan." said Devola, "Then Popola and I will get started on his birthday cake effective immediately."

A2 looked at everyone. "Everyone, thank you." she said, "I'll be off to get Lars' gift from me. Set up for me?" asked A2.

"Sure, we'll get it started, looks like the rain finally stopped." said Eve, "Shall we go brother?"

As A2 left the others started to decorate the interior of the walls. All the while Lars was still asleep.

*Later*

It was now eight in the morning. Lars noticed that A2 wasn't in bed with him. "Strange..." he muttered groggily. He suddenly remembered that it was his fifteenth birthday. He had stopped being fourteen, the next stage in his life had come. Lars wondered why A2 was gone, perhaps she really  _did_ do something for his birthday. His hunch was proven correct when he walked out of the door after washing.

The walls were decorated with different colors. All of his friends were there, including those that didn't live with him. Zero was also there, Mikhail had to be in the parking lot, him being a dragon. "Surprise!" they all shouted.

"My God..." breathed Lars, A2 caught his eye, from the look in  _her_ eyes, she was the one who basically organized the entire thing. "A2, you didn't have to." said Lars sarcastically, with a grin on his face.

"Well, it was keeping me up all night. I wanted to do something but you said not to. But I  _just_ couldn't resist." responded A2.

"I'm still glad you did. I mean, wow. You guys did all this for me?"

"Well yeah. You're out friend and we love you." said 9S.

"We even baked you a cake." added Devola. "Would you like it now or later?"

"I think that we should save it for after dinner. But just having all of you here, it amazes me. The last time most of us were together like this was at Thanksgiving."

"You didn't really think that we'd miss this chance to celebrate your birthday did you? Seriously, this only comes around once a year, and no one lives forever, except me of course. But I can still get killed, but let's not talk about that right now." said Zero, "What I'm saying is, let's enjoy this day!" Everyone cheered.

"Can I have some breakfast first?" asked Lars.

"Hell yeah you can. We already made it." stated Kainé, she lifted up a cover and let Lars lay his eyes on a table presented with a breakfast that looked absolutely delicious. Assortments of fruits, breads, cheeses, meats, and pastries (including Adam and Eve's apple pie) filled the table. They were all accompanied by earl gray tea. "Well, dig in."

"Will do." Lars and his friends had their breakfast, and it was amazing. Lars thought to himself,  _"You know what? This isn't so bad. Guess it's good to indulge myself sometimes."_

After they finished Nier was reminded of something, "Oh yeah, Lars." he called.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"A gift came in. From your mother." stated Weiss

"Really? Where?" asked Lars.

"It's in the garage. I think you'll like it." They party walked over to the garage, there they saw something covered with a tarp.

"Well, go on and take it off." said Nier.

Lars lifted up the tarp. A bike was revealed, it's glossy black metal shined with what little sunlight came though to the garage. Clearly, it was armored and was customized, on the left side, the YoRHa insignia decorated the side. On the right side, was Lars' emblem. The tires, at one glance were obviously nearly indestructible, in fact the entire frame was probably invulnerable. The engine was the same model that would power a YoRHa flight unit, the Commander Type at that, meaning it was also eco-friendly. "Holy crap..." said Lars. "This is from mom? But I don't even know how to drive yet, and I'm not old enough either."

"This came along with the bike." responded Nier. He pulled out three things. A chip of some kind, and two of the synchronization modules that Lars once wore. The chip displayed a message, with his mother's face on it.

"This motorcycle is an experimental model. We're planning to mass produce it for our soldiers, it's virtually indestructible and can easily outclass the BUB - 7 Streamliner at full speed. At full speed, it is as fast as our flight units. It also has a force-field function in case any accidents happen and your helmet isn't enough. I know you haven't learned how to drive yet, but you will and do not worry about your age, I have made sure you have special clearance. If you're willing to put the modules into your neck once again that is. It is your birthday gift but I also need you to collect data. But, all in all, Happy Birthday, my child." the message shut off. 

"So, if I wanna drive it again, I have to put these in my neck again, huh? Well, I don't mind. I'll be right back." Lars opened up a portal to the android/Jinzo headquarters. It was just the Bunker, but it had been converted into a fortress on the water, it was now larger, too. It could still take flight, but there would be no need. Lars was greeted by the soldiers and even met up with Anemone.

"Oh, Happy Birthday, Lars." she said, "What brings you to the Bunker?"

"I'm gonna get these installed, do you know where 19H's team is?" 

"They should be in med-bay number three."

"Thanks, I'll see you around then."

"Later." Lars waved goodbye to Anemone and began walking to the med-bay. When he got there, the doors slid open, everyone was already there. 

"We've been expecting you." said 19H. 

"Been a while, Doc."

"Yes, it has. I assume you are here to get those modules installed?"

"You got it right. Let's begin."

"So, how have you been?" asked 81H as Lars sat down on a chair in front of the skin remover. 

"Oh, you know, I've been fine. School's going pretty good. Gotta admit, I'm really enjoying my civilian life."

"That's good to hear." responded 19H, "Stay still, this won't hurt one bit." The skin remover pinpointed to points on Lars' neck where there was synthetic skin and used lasers to loosen it. Then it easily plucked the bits of skin out, leaving gaping holes that lead right into Lars' spine. "So, today is your birthday, correct?"

"Yep." said Lars as the modules were put in position.

The team wished him Happy Birthday, and 81H asked, "So how old are you now?"

"Fifteen." responded Lars as the first module was fastened in. 

"You fought along with us when you were only fourteen. It amazes me every time I think about it. How young you are, and fighting a war."

"Well, I wasn't really given a choice." the second module was fastened. 

"We know. Well, the procedure is done, is anything off?"

"Nothing I haven't felt before. Thank you."

"Have a nice day, Commander." said 19H the other team members waved goodbye before Lars opened a portal back to his home. 

"So, how did it go?" asked Emil.

"Fine." Lars looked at his bike, a cable compartment was on the seat. "That must be it." he muttered. Lars grabbed the wire and plugged it right into his nape. The data flowed though and Lars felt a bit of pain and got a small nose-bleed.

"Oh shit! You alright?" Kainé nearly shouted.

"He'll be fine." responded A2.

"Right you are." said Lars. "It's just the sudden data flow... guess it's been a while since I had anything with as much data as the mask flow into my mind like this..." panted Lars as he wiped the blood from his nose. "So, what happens now?"

"Well, I took the liberty of booking all of us to Knott's Berry Farm. You're very welcome."

"Thanks, sis." responded Lars, "So, how are we all gonna get there?"

"Don't worry about, we all have our rides. We'll meet you there. This is an excellent time to test my new car out. After all, teleporting everywhere expends precious energy." said Adam. He went to the garage over and opened up the doors. There was a new Jaguar XJ.

"Since when did you have the money to buy that? That's freakin' expensive." asked Lars. 

"I saved, well, we did. After all Eden Cafe is booming, especially because many of the students who attend Gabrielino find it favorable there. What can I say? The apple pie that Eve and I bake are simply the best, Devola and Popola's velvet cake is simply marvelous."

"And don't forget, we're all good looking." added Eve.

"That, too."

"We also bought a car." said 9S. "It doesn't feel right for you to keep opening portals everywhere we go." 2B and 9S went over to  _their_ garage and opened up to reveal a glossy white Lamborghini. 

"And where did you get the money to buy that?" Lars asked once again.

"I take down beasts from the old war some times. It pays a lot." responded 2B.

"What about you A2?"

"I have my own bike. Built it myself." she responded. It was in 2B and 9S' garage, but a tarp was over it. A2 removed it and there was her own bike. It was a white customized and even had red lines that had clearly led lights underneath, making them glow if she wanted to at night.

"Enough dawdling, get changed and we'll all head off." said Weiss. 

"Will do." Lars quickly got changed into his typical clothing. Black jeans, converse, a black undershirt, and a white dress shirt, worn with only the arms buttoned up. "Let's go to Knott's." Lars mounted his bike and connected the wires, then put on his helmet. A2 just mounted and put her helmet on. 2B was driving the car and 9S the passenger. Yonah rode with Nier whilst Emil rode with Kainé. Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola all rode in the same car. Zero had Mikhail take off and said that she would meet up with them at the entrance. Then they all headed off.  

The bike was smooth and easy to control. He knew how to drive based on the information that he had, the helmet helped him work on his reflexes, this being his first time on the bike. A2 and the others were right behind him, all driving or riding very easily. It was like the androids already knew how to drive from the start, though that wouldn't be a surprise.

After they got there, all of them went to the entrance to meet Zero. Mikhail flew off to do whatever a dragon does for leisure.

"Come on, let's have some fun."

*Later*

The rides were enough to support the combined weights of the non-humans (surprisingly). Everyone had fun, but the day was over. They wen't on all the rides, even going on Silver Bullet twice.

"Well, that was fun." said Popola. "Now, how about somewhere  _you_ want to go?" she asked Lars.

"Somewhere I want to go, huh?" Lars thought a moment, then he realized where he wanted to go. "Let's get our stuff home first. Lars opened portals to everyone's homes and they dropped off their vehicles in their respective places. When everyone was together again, Lars opened a portal to his original home town. To Solvang. They all looked around the danish-based village.

" _This_ is your old home?" asked Devola, "It's a nice place."

"It's why my parents picked to live here. God, I haven't been here in ages." they went around, greeting and reuniting with people that Lars once knew. They were quite overjoyed to see that he was alive and well, plus he was visiting, so the bakers he knew gave him some bread. After that, Lars headed toward their old house. Zero and Lars looked at the house that they once lived in, but didn't go in.

"You know, the house is still under our name. You could still live in it if you want to." said Zero.

"Maybe one day. But not now, come on, one last place." said Lars. They all went over to the graves of Lars' parents. "Mom, Dad. I'm finally fifteen, you probably know this already, but mom, I got adopted. She used to be my Commander in the military. But, she's really good to me, she can't really spend much time with me, but that's excusable. At least she spends time with me whenever she can. I love everyone around me. I just... I just wish that you two could be here with me. I hope you two are at peace, where ever you are. When the time comes for me to go to join you, I'll have a great story to tell you." 

"That was beautiful, Lars." said Zero. "Now it's my turn. I'm eternally grateful that you two found me. If it weren't for you guys, I would've died in those woods. And it's thanks to you that I was able to meet Lars. So one last time, thank you. Maybe one day I'll actually be  _able_ to die, and we'll all be together again. After all, no one's _truly_ immortal, they just live a long time."

After they said their last words. Everyone went back home to keep celebrating Lars' birthday and have dinner. They all went back to Lars' home, but had dinner outside in the yard. Finally, Popola bought out the cake that she and her sister had baked. It was enough for everyone to have a slice. But first, they had to sing. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Lars! Happy birthday to you!" they all sang. As everyone cheered, Lars cut into the cake and gave one for everyone, yet, there was still leftover.

"Everyone, thank you. You took my birthday, and made so much more than I could ever." said Lars.

"Don't sweat it. You deserve it, kid." responded Nier.

The celebration was so grand, it lasted until midnight. Lars never felt so sad for it to be March fourth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I don't own the song I mentioned. All of it goes to the Kamen Rider Girls and Avex.  
> Lars and A2 bikes looks like those racing motorcycles.


	8. Summer Has Come Once Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School's out. Time for a beach episode thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you worry folks. Something's going to happen soon.  
> Expect a lot of describing of swimsuits.

School ended about a week ago. Lars and his friends didn't do much in the first week outside of playing some music and going on small outings. They didn't have a chance to organize a big outing that could include everyone.

Until now that is. 

Since it was summer, 9S decided that the nicest place to go to was the beach. Him, Lars, Zero, Emil were sitting in his part of the house, "This is gonna be exciting. I mean, this is gonna be our first time to a proper beach. You know, one that has a lot more people talking and having fun. Instead of running past a destroyed one on a mission." said he.

"I hear ya." responded Lars. 

"So when are we going?" asked Emil. "Actually, now that I think about it, do you guys have swimsuits?"

"No." 9S said it with a hint of shame in his voice.

"No problem, we'll buy them. I just hope they aren't too expensive. Come on, I'll call A2. You call up 2B." stated Lars. He took out his phone and 9S took his out. "Hey, A2?"

"Yeah? What is it?" asked A2 on the other side.

"You wanna buy swimsuits? We're planning a trip this Saturday, to the beach."

"Sure. I'm down. Who else is going?"

"Let's see." Lars looked over to 9S, who was finished with his call and gave Lars a thumbs up. "2B, 9S, Emil, Zero, so far. I'm going to contact everyone else to see if they can come or not."

"Alright then, I'll head home right now." said A2 before hanging up.

Lars knew that Nier, Yonah, and Kainé would agree. So he decided to Eve, "Hey Eve, this Saturday, 9S planned-"

"A trip to the beach and you want to invite us along. Right?" asked Eve on the other side. 

"Wait, how did you know?"

"It  _is_ summer, and the beach is perfect place to go with friends in the heat." added in Adam.

"So, you guys in or what?"

"Yes. We're in, we'll get our own supplies, see you then."

"See ya."

"So, is that a yes from them?" asked Zero.

"Yeah, Nines, can you call Devola and Popola?"

"Sure, I'll do it." 9S dialed up Devola. 

"9S?" asked she.

"Yeah, it's me. So we have plans for this Saturday, we wanna go to the beach. All of us, together. Do you and Popola wanna come?"

"Well, I would like nothing more. This Saturday you say?"

"Yep."

"Well then, where do we meet?"

"How about in front of my house?" suggested Zero as she kind of plucked 9S' phone right out of his hand.

"Alright then, we'll see you at what time?" Zero looked at 9S and gave him his phone back.

"I'd say, about eight in the morning."

"It's settled, we'll but our own swimsuits. See you."

"Devola and Popola are also going." said 9S.

"Alright, that brings out party to twelve." said Lars, "Counting Weiss and Mikhail." 

"Reminder: Unit 9S and fellow androids are all roughly three-hundred pounds. Proposal: When at the beach, units should not fully submerge or risk facing being lost at sea." stated Pod-153. 

"Yeah, yeah. We'll try not to go too deep-" 9S was suddenly interrupted from a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." said Lars. He went up to the door and opened it. There stood a very unexpected guess. "M-mom?" asked Lars. There stood White, wearing her civilian clothing. 

"May I come in?" she asked.

"Oh, yeah. Come on in." said 9S. She took her heels off and stepped inside. "So, Commander. What brings you here today? I notice that you're in your civilian clothing."

"It's a long story." she replied, "First, an adviser came in and told me that I'm working too hard, and that I should take a break. I told him that I'm an android and require no rest. He left for a moment, and I continued to do my work. But then he came back with 6O and told me to rest. This happened until most of the android's of the Will-O'the-Wisp's crew came and told me that I should spend more time with you. After all, I'm your mother they said, and it's summer break. So I  decided that I'd take a month off. I trust that they will take care of everything while I'm gone." 

"Alright, this is great!" said Emil, "We have more people to go with us."

"And that brings our party to thirteen." stated Lars.

"May I ask where we are all going?" asked White.

"The beach." responded 9S.

"Then I have the perfect thing for you all. We have come up with a system that allows an android to control their weight. Since I already told them before hand, 2B, A2, Popola, Devola are already getting it installed, it's about time for  _you_ to go, 9S." she said in response.

"Oh, really? Well, I better get going!" said 9S quickly. "I finally get to go swimming! Lars?"

"I gotcha." said Lars as he opened up a portal. After 9S left, Lars looked back at White, "Did  _you_ have the system installed yet?"

"Yes, I did so before coming here. I'll be able to decide if I want to swim or not now." then she decided to say something else. "I see it in your eyes. You want to ask me something, but you do not wish to sound rude. Well, you can go on and say it, I promise not to be offended." she said with a smile.

"Do you have a place to stay?" asked Lars.

"Well would you mind it if I were to stay over at your home?"

"N-no, not at all."

"That's good to know at least. But, I will not be staying over here."

"Wait, what?"

"I already rented out a hotel room. But I'll be spending most of my time near you all. Meaning, until nightfall, I will be with you." 

The rest of the time they spent alone was about planning the trip to the beach. It was much easier now that White was around, she could help plan things much more efficiently. In fact, right then and right there in the time they had, practically the entire trip was planned. By that time, Lars got a call from 9S calling that they were done installing the new system and that they were all ready to come back. 

"So? How was it?" asked Zero as they walked through the portal.

"Not bad at all. I mean-" 2B cut herself of when she saw the Commander, "Ma'am." she said immediately and saluted, along with A2, Devola, and Popola. She waved her hand.

"There's no need to be so formal today. I'm helping to plan a vacation after all." she replied, "9S didn't tell you?"

"Whoops, sorry. I forgot." he said sheepishly.

"I didn't know you were going to be coming over. I thought you were just telling us about a new system." stated 2B, "So I assume you're going to be staying a while?"

"Yes, I let the others take care of my position. I will be here for roughly a month." the Commander replied. "So, we just planned out the entire trip."

"Oh, really? Let's hear it then." said A2.

"Okay, so we all meet up over here no later than eight-o'clock sharp. The streets are probably going to be packed, so we have to get here with everything quickly. Then, we're going to Huntington Beach. Nier is going to take care of drinks, and Zero said that she'd take care of food items." said Emil, "We also made plans to go to the pier around sunset and then go out for dinner after that. There's this really good barbecue place near the beach that all of us humans want to try."

"Well, it won't be a problem for any of us, we all have bio-mass fuel generators, which means we can eat anything without system failure." said 9S, "This is looking to be a great day. 9S looked at the clock, "Geez, look at the time." said he.

"Oh, it's getting quite late. What say you all that we go out to dinner tonight, just us." suggested White.

"I think that would be lovely, but Popola and I have some more things to do tonight. So we'll have to decline." responded Devola.

"Very well. Emil, would you like to tell Nier?"

"Oh, okay." replied the young boy. He called his adoptive father and told him what would happen and then put his phone down. "He says that he's fine with it, just that I shouldn't be back too late. He said the latest is nine."

"That is fine. I suppose you five are alright with it?" asked White to Zero and the other four.

"Yeah, I would like that. I would like that a lot." said Lars, eager to spend more time with his mother.

"Then it's settled, go get changed, you four." they nodded and went to go change. "Emil."

"Y-yes?" 

"Do you know who your birth parents were?" 

"I think they were kind of like Zero's parents. I'm pretty sure they didn't want me, so they dumped me on the street. Why do you ask?"

"Pure curiosity."

"I see..."

The others came back, and then they were off. They all walked over to a place that White had become quite fond of. The food there was quite good, and Lars had an overall good time. He enjoyed every moment of it, eating alongside his friends, and his mother. Granted, she adopted him but hey, she's still his mother. Eventually, the time had come for them to leave and send Emil home.

"That was fun, thanks, mom." said Lars.

"It's nothing, however it  _is_ very late and I should get going. I will join you tomorrow to buy your swimsuits. Goodnight." replied White.

"Goodnight." called the others.

"Now, let's go home." said Lars, "Who feels like walking?" 

"None of us." responded A2, "Admit it, you don't feel like it either."

"Okay then." said Lars. He opened up a portal leading back to their home. They all went their separate ways for the night. After they changed and washed up, Lars lay on the bed, next to A2. "Hey, A2, did you ever go to the beach?"

"Sometimes, when I would clear my mind. If I wasn't exterminating machines, or spending time with you, then I was always at somewhere with nature. Whether it was the beach, the forest, or even the desert, I would always go somewhere to clear my mind. But, I've never had the experience I'm going to experience this Saturday, having fun rather than just standing there with only my thoughts to keep me company." she replied.

"Well, I know that this Saturday will be fun." said Lars, "All of us are going, we can build sand castles, play volley ball, have water fights, go swimming, especially with your new systems, and eat lots of delicious food."

"Yeah, I just wish there could be more to enjoy it." stated A2, "Your parents, my friends..."

"Don't worry. They're all in Heaven, but more importantly, they're in here." Lars touched A2's chest, right above where a human heart would be.

"I guess you're right. They'll always be with me. With us." 

"That's right. They live on, in our memories, in Heaven, and of course, in our hearts." said Lars, "Now come on, let's go to bed, a huge day is tomorrow. And after that, it's beach day." said he.

"Good night. I love you." said A2, reaching for the light switch.

"Good night, A2. Love you, too." responded Lars.

She turned off the light, then proceeded to wrap her arms around the smaller boy. As she went to sleep, A2 knew that Lars was right, and she was very happy that he was. 

*The Next Day*

Everyone woke up earlier because they knew that White was an early riser and would walk over very fast. They were proven right when she arrived right as they were eating breakfast. They decided to invite her in, extra food was already there, so they didn't see why not. After they ate, they met up with Zero, as she knew more about fashion and what looked good and what didn't. 

"Taking one look from, your uniform, I'd say a one-piece would fit you, 2B." said Zero, she looked at A2, "Definitely more of a two-piece girl." The last one she looked at was at 9S, "Nothing would look better for you then swimming trunks." she said, rather bluntly. Then was White, "I think a two-piece would look great on you. Add something to it, though, and that'll look perfect." said she.

"Noted." said 2B.

"Alright." replied A2.

"Sure thing." responded 9S.

"Noted." said White.

"Not let's go shopping." They all went to a clothing store that sold practically everything. Everyone already kept Zero's tips in mind. 2B looked through the one-pieces very quickly and found one to her liking. She went into the changing room and then came out after a few minutes. 

"How do I look, 9S?" asked she. 2B wore a black one-piece swimsuit, it was very similar to her leotard of her YoRHa uniform. But it was different in matters of color, and that just a bit more skin was exposed. The sides were a bit cut off and there was a v, showing some cleavage, of course, the back had a hole in it, showing off some more skin.

9S was breathless for a moment, he had never seen 2B dress like this before. His pulse was racing, and he was getting a little turned-on. "It... It... It looks... great..." he managed to breath out. 

"I'm glad you think so. What do  _you_ guys thing?" asked 2B to the other four.

"I think it looks awesome on you, 2B." said Lars.

"Great choice, I like it." responded A2.

"You look excellent." said White quickly.

"Yup, I knew a one-piece was the right choice for you." stated Zero. "Let's keep going, shall we?" 9S was looking at the section that had trunks. He wanted to go for a simple look, not too flashy, and yet, still looked great and was comfortable.

"Yo, Nines. How's this one look?" asked Lars. 

9S took a look at it and stared for a second. "Perfect." he suddenly said, "I'll go try it on." 9S went into the changing room, then came out a moment later with his new swimsuit on. It was a black swimsuit that had white lines on it, the brand was Quicksilver. Very simplistic, but it looked really good on 9S. "Whaddya think?"

2B had a noticeable red on her face, she also thought it looked great. Then again, on 9S' figure, of course it would look great. 2B also had trouble getting out a sentence because of how flustered she was, except she stuttered even more than 9S did, "I-I... Y-you... look hot..." she said, 2B suddenly realized what she said and tried to correct herself as best as she could. "I mean..." but she stopped. She knew her feelings were true, and that revealing them was alright for a long time now. "Yeah... You look hot. Downright sexy." she complimented.

White was a bit surprised. She had never seen 2B act like this before, but she was absolutely fine with it. After all, 2B and those around her were the equivalent to civilians right now, and so was she. As everyone finished complimenting 9S, A2 had found the swimsuit that she desired. She went into the changing room and came out in a moment's notice. Lars remembered when he first met her, she looked the same as then. she had a bikini on, of course, it was black. However, her swimsuit's bottom piece was more like track shorts, really short track shorts.

"Does it look good on me?" she asked, looking at Lars specifically. She turned about and spun slowly, allowing Lars to see every detail.

"You. Look. Amazing." he responded, not a moment's hesitation. "Actually, that doesn't do you justice. You're absolutely beautiful and I love it." 

"Now,  _that_ _'s_ what I was looking for." replied A2.

"And now, it's my turn." said White. She entered the changing room with her chosen swimsuit and they all waited outside. She came out a couple of minutes later and she was also stunning. Her swimsuit was white (go figure), and the sarong she wore on her waist went all the way down to her ankles and was quite see-though. "I do hope this fits me."

"A sarong? Nice, it looks perfect for you, mom." remarked Zero. 

"It looks great, mom." added Lars.

"So, now  _you_ are calling me your mother as well?" asked White.

"Well, yeah, my little brother calls you his mom. That's good enough for me."

"It's fine, I don't mind." responded White, "In fact, I like that I now have two children. Adopted, but still mine." she said.

"Now that we've all picked out our swimsuits, let's pay for them." said Zero, "Don't you worry, I'm gonna be paying for all of it."

"Actually, that won't be necessary." stated White, "I'll be buying this time. After all, I have a lot of money that I don't know what to do with. So, I will pay."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I am sure." White proceeded to pay for the android's new swimsuits along with her own. The total price was quite hefty, but she didn't seem to care. She just paid and they all left. The rest of the day was spent just doing leisure things in the city. They all decided that buying a few more things couldn't hurt. They even ran into Adam and Eve in the city. They had closed the Eden Cafe for the week for the occasion. Since they were near it, they decided to go to Little Tokyo for food and for some more leisure. After the day at the city, they all went to their homes to get some rest. Tomorrow would be a big day, and Lars felt it was best if he got plenty of rest. 

"Ready for tomorrow?" asked Lars to A2 as they lay in bed.

"I sure am. This is actually really exciting." responded A2.

"I know, it's been so long since I've been to the beach like this. Anyway, goodnight. Love you." 

"Love you, too." responded A2. She turned off the light and they both went to sleep, excited for the day ahead.

*The Next Day (Again)*

Lars and A2 both woke up early and washed quickly. They went outside, slowly, but surely, the cars began arriving. Mikhail and Zero also dropped by, White was with them. "Everyone ready to go?" asked Zero.

"Yes, I think that we are all ready. Let's see..." 9S counted everyone. "Yup, everyone's here."

"Oh joy. The beach, an opportunity to get my pages wet..." stated Weiss.

"Oh, shut the fuck up Weiss. You've been complaining ever since we got the plan." responded an annoyed Kainé.

"Need I remind you that books and water do  _not_ get along well?"

Before Kainé said anything else, Nier cut them off. "Knock it off, you two. We're supposed to have a good day today. And Weiss, don't worry, you're not getting anywhere near the water. Just break off from me."

"Fine. Just do not even _think_ about getting me wet."

"Good." Nier looked back at Lars, " _You_ ready to go?"

"Yup, let's head out." Everyone mounted their vehicles and all took off.

*Fast Forward*

The entire group arrived at the beach. Luckily for them, it wasn't as crowded as they'd expect to be, but they were early, so that must have been the reason. Everyone got off and unpacked their things. Those who had swimsuits underneath their clothes took off the outer layers for their swimsuits. Emil had normal trunks on, colored purple and white. Yonah had a basic white one piece, it matched the dress she wore in the summer sometimes. Kainé wore a one-piece that was REALLY revealing, for whatever reason. Nier wore a tank top and black trunks. 

White removed her clothing to reveal her new swimsuit underneath. Out of her bag, she took out her sarong and wrapped it around her waist. 2B, 9S, and A2 did the same with their clothing. Their new swimsuits practically gleamed in the sun, Lars' swimsuit consisted of a white short-sleeved swim-shirt and black cargo shorts. "You're gonna wear a shirt even in the water?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, it's a habit of mine. Ever since I was a kid, I always wore a swim shirt." replied Lars.

Zero took her clothing off to reveal her own swimsuit. It was a white two piece, an x shape was covering up on top whilst she wore a normal bikini bottom. She also took the ribbon off her head and let her hair loose. Adam wore a shirt with a tropical design and white swimming trunks. Eve wore black swimming trunks and no shirt, "I don't have to wear a shirt this time, right?"

"Yes, Eve. You may show off your body here. Except your genitals, don't show those." responded Adam.

"Okay."

Devola and Popola had matching swimsuits. They were stripped and had the colors, maroon and and white. As everyone set up the chairs and umbrellas, the humans applied sunscreen. Zero took her arm off, "Better take it off. This model doesn't get along with water." she saw Lars' arm was still on. "You gonna take it off?" she asked.

"No don't worry about it. My arm is better than state-of-the-art tech. It's waterproof among other things."

"Really?" 

"Yup."

"I'm gonna stick with this one. After all, Mom and Dad got it for me."

"Yeah, you should hold onto it. Sentimental value, plus it looks frickin' sweet."

Around this time, everyone finished setting up. "You all can go down to the water." said Nier, "I'll be staying here with them, playing in water really isn't our style as much as it is yours." He, Weiss, and White decided to stay behind. Everyone cheered and went down to get swallowed up by the tide. Eve had a surfboard with him and began going out to catch some waves. 

They splashed around, and laughed. 2B screamed a bit when 9S splashed water on her. She just splashed water back, they both laughed. Kainé decided to pull a prank on A2. She dove underneath the water and pulled A2 right off her feet, making her falling into the water with a yelp. A2 came back up, her hair covering her face. With one swing of her head, the hair was back behind her. A devious smile spread on her face. A2 skipped on the water and judo threw Kainé. They both shared a hearty laugh. "Who wants to go jousting?" asked 9S.

"I do!" responded Kainé immediately.

"Me, too." said 2B. She materialized two poles in her hands and gave one to Kainé. 9S raised his hands and water pillars shot out to lift up both woman. They jousted until one of them fell off, 2B let her guard down and was picked right off. She fell into the water and came back up. They had a little tournament, Kainé was the undefeated champion. Lars saw an enormous wave coming in, he had a boogie-board with him so he positioned himself and the wave slammed into his back, propelling him forward. He was joined by Eve, who was surfing. They both lost to the power of the wave and got swallowed up.

Everyone watched as they washed back on shore. They all walked over to them, seeing if they were okay. Lars got up just fine, catching his breath, but laughing at the same time. When Eve got up, everyone noticed something on his head. "What is it? Is there sand on my head?" he asked.

"No..." said Devola, "That's... an octopus." 

Eve touched his head and felt something squishy. With minimal strength, he pulled it off. He looked at it, apparently, it was a mono-eyed octopus and it stared back at him. "Look brother. I think it's a sub-species." 

"Oh, yes, it is." responded Adam, "Best put it back then." Eve nodded and chucked the octopus as hard as he could, sending it at least a mile. 

"Now that that's over, let's go back to the water!" cheered Lars. Everyone cheered with him and ran back into the waves, eventually, they were joined bu White. "How's the water, mom?"

"It's quite good. Nice and cool." she responded. "Good God. I'm really glad I agreed to take time off. After all, I don't get to spend time with you or Zero very much. So I should enjoy it while I can."

"Yeah..." Lars spotted something, "INCOMING!" he shouted. Lars ducked, but White wasn't fast enough, water splashed her face. 9S looked horrified that he just did that. But only a smile spread across White's face.

"My turn..." she said deviously. Wit one stroke of her hand, she sent forth a small wave at 9S. They all laughed and played in the water a bit more, Nier joined in, leaving Weiss to guard and converse with the pods. After they left the water, a fierce volley-ball game erupted between one team, Lars, A2, Zero, Adam, Eve and White, against the other team, Kainé, 2B, 9S, Yonah, Devola, and Popola. The game ended in a draw, but it was all in good fun. Next, Adam had an idea of building an absolutely enormous sand-castle. It took an hour with everyone involved, but they managed to build an entire fortress out of sand.

"Pod-042, take a picture." said 2B.

"Affirmative: waiting for everyone to gather." responded Pod-042.

Everyone gathered and put on their smiles. After they had the picture, they left it there. They had been at the beach for a while now, in fact, the sun was beginning to set. So they packed everything up and loaded them onto the vehicles. The group decided to have a lovely stroll on the pier, taking many pictures before finally going to eat. They bought a couple souvenirs as well.

Alas, as the sun had finally set, everyone agreed that it was high-time for dinner. They went to the proposed barbecue place, and had a grand dinner. Meats, several types, were served and all of it was delicious. But the thing that everyone loved the most was the baby back ribs. They were so good, even White said that they were to die for. After dinner was done, everyone decided that going home was the best thing to do. Everyone said goodbye and went home, but Lars said that he would go home a bit later. There were no arguments, as everyone knew he could take care of himself, so they all left on their own.

He rode all the way to a mountain trail and looked out into the sea and coastal city. 

"You know, I'm not gonna lie to myself. I sure wish Mom, Dad, and A2's friends were here today. That's the only thing missing. Oh, well. It can't be helped." he said to himself out loud, "Wonder what they're gonna say when I meet them." With that, he loaded his helmet with a playlist and rode back home. 

The summer would only get better from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a coincidence, I'm on summer break as well.


	9. A Simple Camping Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A2 decided that she ought to spend some time with Kainé and Zero people whom have grown to be her trusted friends. On this trip, their bond and understanding of each other deepen. But of course, something happens, an incident of sorts...

It's almost been a month since the beach trip. Everyone had a blast, and they continued to have fun though out the summer. One day, Kainé, Zero, and A2 all sat in Eden Cafe. Kainé proposed something to A2 and Zero. "How about we go on a camping trip?" asked Kainé. "Just us three women. It'll be fun." 

"I'm in." responded Zero almost immediately. "What about you?" she asked A2.

A2 thought about it. "If Lars doesn't mind, he should be alright with me going." she called him right then. "Hey, Lars, so I'm thinking about going on a camping trip with Kainé and Zero, that alright with you?" 

"Hey, it's your decision. I mean, you don't need me to approve _everything._ I'm totally fine with it, in fact, have fun if you're going." he responded.

"Thanks. I'll come by later to pack my stuff."

"Okay, that's fine by me. Love you, bye." 

"Love you, too." A2 hang up, "I'm in." she said.

"Now what about 2B?" asked Kainé, "Does she want to come along as well?"

"Lemme give her a call." replied Zero. Then she remembered something, "Oh that's right. She and Nines, along with the two twin pairs are going on a small trip to Canada. Word is that the Northern part of the North American Kingdom is really nice at this time. I think they went on a road trip all across the province. But, that puts them out of the picture." The other two nodded and agreed. "Alright, then it's settled, let's meet up at my place tomorrow. Then we'll head off in on Mikhail." 

"Sure. I'm going home to pack up my stuff. What time do we meet tomorrow?" asked A2.

"How about nine at my place? First we take a hike up the mountain, then we stay for two nights. We'll hike down to the ground, then Mikhail will pick us up and then we go home. That's the plan." 

"Alright. See you gals tomorrow." said Kainé. They finished their drinks and then left. A2 didn't take her bike, because home was very close. She just walked home, wondering what to bring for the trip. She didn't need as many necessities like bug repellent or lotion, things like that. A2 wondered what she would bring, and spent her entire walk home thinking about what to bring.

A2 got home in no time. "I'm home, she called." 

Lars poked his head out of the doorway and smiled, "Welcome home." he responded, "So, going on a camping trip are we?" he asked.

"Yeah, but I'm wondering what I should bring." 

"I can recommend a few things."

"Oh, okay. Tell me."

"Well, for starters, you need the proper clothes. For hiking and the wilderness. Hard clothing, like cargo pants or something similar. And you need a back pack that can carry a lot of stuff. And I mean a LOT like a military bag."

"Okay, I think I have all of that. The bag I can probably borrow. I think Anemone has one I can borrow."

"That's great, now you also need cooking supplies, like pots or pans, and a food supply enough to last you whatever days you need, though that won't really be necessary for you. But, if you want to, you're free to." Lars thought a bit more, "And of course, you need a sharp mind, to stay aware of what happens around you and stuff like that. In case something like a bear attack comes along."

"We can probably fend it off." she chuckled. "But in all seriousness. You're practically going to be alone, Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola are all busy. They went with 2B and Nines on the Canada trip."

"Hey, mom's still here, remember? Don't worry about me, have some fun on this trip! It'll be your first time camping, you'll be roughin' it. You've done it before, but not like this. You'll be fine, and I'll be fine."

"Oh, yeah. I nearly forgot that she was still here. She going to be living here for a while?"

"Yeah, I'll probably tell her and she'll check out of her hotel room. The day you come back is probably when her month is up anyway." 

"Alright them, help me pack?" she asked.  

"No problem at all." responded Lars. A2 called Anemone for a spare bag and Lars opened a portal for the bag to be delivered. Then they spent a few hours looking for the right things and packing them into A2's bag. After they were done packing, Lars spent the next few hours teaching A2 how to actually perform some of the things she would be doing, such as starting a controlled fire, and filtering out bad particles in water. After Lars was finished teaching A2, they decided to make dinner. After eating, it was just a bit of relaxing time, then off to bed. They played a few video games and had a bunch of fun.

"Well, better go off to bed now." said Lars, "After you leave tomorrow, I'll call mom and ask her to come over." 

"Alright then. Good night, Lars, I love you."

"Love you, too." responded Lars as A2 turned the light off. As she began to fall asleep, she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. If she screwed up, it may lead into other things, such as some of their supplies being lost. But then she remembered that when she was all on her own, she had practically camped everyday. It may not have been technically camping, but A2 was practically nomadic. The only difference was that she had friends with her now and that she just had to do a few more steps, however, that didn't really bother that much. So without a single doubt that something would go wrong, she dozed off into sleep.

*Morning*

A2 was slowly being woken up by someone. It wasn't hard to realize that Lars was calling her awake. Her eyes slowly opened up and she looked at the clock, it was about seven-thirty. She had plenty of time to do her morning routine, A2 sluggishly sat up from the bed and looked at Lars, "...Mornin'..." she said groggily. 

"Good morning, A2." said Lars, "You have plenty of time before your scheduled meeting time. I already made breakfast, you should go wash up. I'll gather your stuff." But A2 stopped him, she tugged on his pants. "What is it?"

"I just... Never realized how much of a house-husband you were." she said. Upon hearing this, Lars chuckled a bit.

"Is it because I clean, cook, and do a lot of things that was seen as too feminine back in the day?"

"Yeah..."

"Well that's perfectly fine with me. I enjoy doing such things, now you should get going."

"Right." A2 got up and headed to the bathroom. She began to wash herself, after she finished showering, she dressed in her home clothes for the last time in a while. After coming out, her eyes were treated to the sight of a lovely breakfast that Lars had made. She ate it lovingly and finished after a short period of time. There was now only a bit of time before A2 had to leave. Since Lars had already packed and put all of A2's belongings into one place, so that made things a lot easier. 

A2 looked at the clock, it was now around eight thirty, almost time to go. "I should go get changed." A2 stated. "Thanks for the food, it was delicious."

"You are very welcome." Lars picked up the dishes and quickly washed them. A2 got dressed quickly and began to head out. Lars walked with her to see her off. "I'm gonna ride to Zero's place. You wanna come?"

"Yeah, lemme get my helmet. I'll bring your bike home." he responded.

"Sure." A2 waited for Lars to grab his helmet. He came back a moment later, even changed, and with his helmet. They mounted A2's bike, Lars had attached something on the bike for A2 to tow her stuff along with her. She drove a short while and he held onto her. When they got to Zero's house, Kainé's car was already there. "Well, I'll get going now." A2 got off the bike, allowing Lars to take the driver's seat. "Love you, bye."

"Love you, too. And remember, have fun!" responded Lars. He waited until A2 got to the door to leave. Once she did, he didn't leave yet. The door opened and Zero came out, she waved to Lars and he waved back, then he began to drive home. 

A2 went inside Zero's home. "Where is Kainé?" she asked.

There was a flushing sound and Kainé came out of the bathroom. "Right here, you ready to go?" she asked A2 and Zero.

"Yeah, let's go." replied Zero. The three headed to the backyard, there was Mikhail. The three placed their things on his sides and fastened them on. They mounted Mikhail afterwards and he got up.

"Is everyone ready back there?" asked the young dragon.

"Yeah, we're all ready. Now go!" shouted Zero. No malice, just excitement. With one flap of his wing, Mikhail was already in the air and flying to the mountain at his top speed. It was no problem for Zero, as she rode Mikhail many times now and was completely used to it. A2 had handled flight units at _their_ top speed, so this was practically nothing for her. And of course, Kainé was already tough as nails, so this would also be nothing for her. 

They made it to the mountain relatively quick, taking Mikhail's speed into account. At the base of the mountain, the three ladies dismounted, and unpacked their things off of Mikhail. "Are you sure you don't need me to take you three up the mountain?" he asked.

"It's fine. You just better be able to get your ass to this location around noon in two days. You got it?"

"Okie-dokie. Well, you guys, have fun!" said Mikhail before flying off. 

"Now, it's time to begin the  _real_ first part of this little trip." said Zero, "You ready, A2?"

"Yeah, this is exciting." responded A2. 

"Then let's begin." added Kainé. The three conversed as they climbed up the mountain. It would be a lovely hike.

*Transition*

Lars had called White over. Her hotel room had expired, so she would be staying here for the rest of the time. Luckily, the couch in the bedroom could fold out, so the bed problem was taken care of right there and then. Lars had offered her the bed, but she declined, saying she may be his mother, but she is also merely a guest. He didn't wish to debate, so he just went with it. "So, whatever shall we do?" asked White.

"Well, I hear that there's a small fair, do you want to go?" responded Lars.

"But of course. Then let us be off immediately." they both got dressed for the occasion and were off immediately. 

*Transition*

A2, Zero, and Kainé were in the process of hiking up the mountain. The three were nearly at the top, the camp grounds had come into sight. "It's been two hours since we started. We're making really good time, considering the fact that this is a fire road. There's little to no shade." said Kainé, "Sure is a nice workout though."

"Yeah, I can see the grounds. We're almost there... Just a little more." Zero panted, "Damn, it's pretty hot. I'll bet it's no problem for you, right A2?"  

"It doesn't bother me at all. It's an advantage of being an android." smiled A2.

"Heh, damn right. God, I wish I could cool myself with some sort of system. But, this arm isn't  _that_ advanced." 

"And here we are." stated Kainé. They were now at the camp ground. Tall trees filled the surrounding area, and now there was plenty of shade. As they set down their things, A2 looked over the cliff. There was Los Angeles, she had never really seen it from above before, even from the Will-O'the-Wisp. There was a grill and a designated area for fires where they were, meaning they could have talks around a fire that was controlled and not raging everywhere. 

"A little help here?" called Zero.

"Oh, right." responded A2. She snapped out of her daze of looking at Los Angeles and helped the others set up their tents, then they helped her set her own up. They spent the rest of the day going around and looking at wild life and going deeper into the mountain. Eventually, the time came to go back to the camp site. They all mutually agreed to begin making their dinner. They started up a fire and put a pot above it, then they looked at their ingredients. 

"How does stew sound?" asked Zero.

"That sounds perfectly fine. Let me help." said A2. As they cooked, Kainé went to the river and collected some water. She took a look at it and used her filter to get all of the dust particles and dirt out of it. She then heated it up a bit to rid the water from the best of it's bacteria. It was then time to head back to the site, where the stew had already been complete, but it was a simple stew, so that would explain why it was prepared so easily. 

"It looks great." said Kainé as she was given a bowl.

"It's got chopped vegetables from Devola and Popola's garden and some bear meat." responded Zero as she poured Kainé some and then A2, then herself. 

"So, Kainé, I realize that I don't know much about you, despite being your friend for over a year now. Would you mind telling me more about yourself?" asked A2.

"Sure. I was... wondering when this would come up." Kainé took a deep breath, as if this was quite difficult for her to let out. "As of right now, I'm twenty-three. Almost turning twenty-four. My birthday is September eighth, and I'm a hermaphrodite. Meaning I got male parts and female parts, but you already knew that. Doctors said that it should be impossible for a human, but it happened to me anyway. Back when I was a kid, I constantly got bullied by those around me, calling me a freak and a mutant. The only one who loved me was my grandma, as my parents died when I was a baby. But you probably remember that grandma was killed when I was ten. Those guys' faces were forever etched into my mind. I don't think they ever found them."

"Back to me, when I was eleven, I was taken in. At that point, I had found Emil, a small baby. I gotta admit, seeing a warm meal and a people who accepted me made me cry. Yonah was only about three years old back then, and she was already calling me 'big sister'. Two years into the war, Jenni died of sickness, and I was left to take care of my younger siblings. Nier couldn't come home, and I couldn't get a job anywhere but the military. There was no way I would abandon them, so I had no other choice but to sell my body to creeps who were staying home and cowering away while people around my age. I didn't make much, my body being what it was. I tried as hard as I could. When Nier came back, I felt like I shouldn't be there anymore, so I was gonna leave."

"But on the day I was going to leave, he said he wanted to talk. So we did, he told me that he didn't care what I did. I had no other choice, he then said 'You little piece of shit'. It was what his father had called him when he wanted him to man up and face his problems. He told me that he would never call me that, instead he would encourage me to stand up again, no matter how many times I was knocked down. 'It's alright to be knocked down, but it's absolutely unacceptable to not get back up', that's what made me stay. I decided I would get back up and try again. It's thanks to him I'm still around." 

"But, me being a mutant, I don't live as long as most humans. The docs said that I'll die young. Around forty or so." That part shocked A2, judging from Zero's face, she already knew, and was keeping silent. A2 decided that it would best to keep silent as well. "I still got over a decade, and I fucking plan on making it count. But, that fact that I'm going to die when Yonah, Lars, just turned thirty is a huge bummer. I mean, I may get agitated by them sometimes, but I dunno... I... I really like being 'Big Sister Kainé'. And if I go..." she stopped.

" _When_ I go, I don't know what Emil and Yonah will do. " she said sadly. Kainé looked to the sky, "But hey, I can't exactly stop it, can't I? All I can do is just keep moving forward, and live every damn day of my life to the fullest." Kainé looked back down, a sad smile on her face. "So when I die, try not to bitch and whine too much? It'd piss me the fuck off. Please?"

"I promise." responded A2. She felt sad, but at the same time, she felt happy. Kainé knew that she would die quite early, and the fact that she more or less accepted it was really brave of her. "You're my friend, and now that I know more about you, I intend to make every moment with you count."

"Same here." added Zero, "We'll be inseparable."

"You two... thanks." said Kainé, "Now enough with the sob stories! Let's tell some tall tales!" 

As they told stories for the rest of the night, A2 felt as if she really was helping Kainé through her journey and she was thankful for that.

*Transition* 

Lars and White had come back from the fair a long time ago. White came out of the shower drying her hair and told Lars that it was his turn. She decided to watch the news as Lars was showering, White saw something interesting. "Breaking news; We have just gotten word that six bandits have been spotted near Henninger Flats. Campers near that area should report any suspicious behavior. They are believed to be wearing apparel that resembles robes and are armed and dangerous with a single magician stone. Repeat..." It was around this time that Lars came out of the shower.

Lars watched the announcement. "Isn't Henninger Flats where A2, Kainé, and Zero are camping?" asked White.

"I have a feeling that they'll be fine." replied Lars, "But I think I recognize them." suddenly it hit Lars like a freight train. Those bandits, they wore robes, from what Kainé described, the people wearing those robes were the ones that killed A2 her grandmother, and they were never caught. "Those people. Mom, those are the ones who killed Kainé's grandmother."

"Then it looks like if they show their faces to Kainé, she may recognize them and claim what is rightfully her's. Vengeance."

"Yeah, she'll be fine."

*The Next Night*

The three spent the day hiking and even went exploring in a cave. They didn't find anything, but it sure was interesting. The mountains were beautiful, they took plenty of pictures. The three had heard about the announcement, but they didn't care, however Kainé was quite happy when she heard they were in the area. She could finally have vengeance if those bastards showed their faces. It was night, all of the other campers had fled, leaving the three ladies. 

"If those fuckers show their faces tonight, I'm taking their boss down..." growled Kainé, a hint of excitement in her voice. Despite everything,  she was keeping her cool, not getting too fired up. 

"Hey, you're keeping your cool, that's great."

"Can you guys take the other five? I mean, their boss has a magician stone, and I think he was the one who killed grandma, so I'll be kicking his ass."

"Don't sweat it, A2 and I can take them down no problem. Right, A2?" said Zero.

"Yeah. These guys can't touch us." responded A2, suddenly, she heard something. "I think we have some unwanted guests."

They looked behind them and saw six figures. They had the exact same robes that was described by the news, and had swords. Zero drew her swords, A2 materialized her sword, and Kainé drew her dual-swords. "Looks like they're gonna fight back, what do we do, Hook?"

"Simple, they're real pretty. We show them what real mean are like and have some fun." said the man dubbed "Hook".

"So, Hook was your name, huh?" asked Kainé, "I wondered ever since I was a kid, that ugly ass scar on your neck is still there, meaning it was you all those years ago."

"What're you talking about?"

"Do you remember thirteen years ago? You broke into a sweet old-lady's home and murdered her in front of a little girl."

"Hang on, i'm starting to remember, don't tell me..." he stopped, suddenly in an old lady's voice he said, "Oh, it gladdens my heart to see you again."

"G-grandma?"

"Come Kainé. Come to your grandma's side. You have been alone for so, so long... So much pain, so much despair. Why go on living anymore?"

"...Is that it?"

"What...?"

"Are you done talking?"

"Kainé, don't speak to your grandma like that." he said sternly.

"You're going to stop talking now. And then I'm going to walk over to you and carefully... extend my hand, reach into your chest, and PULL OUT YOUR FUCKING HEART!!!" she suddenly screamed.

*Solid State Scouter (Extended, Skip to wherever you like)*

Without another word, Kainé leaped forward and slammed her swords into Hook's hook-like sword. As she occupied him, the other five tried to go that way, but A2 and Zero jumped in front of them, "You'll be fighting us." stated Zero.

"Fine then! We'll kill you!" a bandit responded. A2 decided to take on three of them, and Zero would take down the other two. A2 had no problem blocking their swings easily as these three were merely a ragtag bunch, only capable of killing civilians. One of them threw a fire ball at her, so she had to deflect it into the air to avoid burning to forest down. "Now I've got you!" shouted the bandit. But the moment he blinked, A2 was gone, "What?"

"Looking for me?" asked a voice.

The bandit looked up to see A2 right above him. With one swipe, A2 chopped the head of the bandit right off, his body oozing with blood dropped to the floor. The other two repulsed for moment, but were quick to regain their composure, they both fired beams of light at A2. She dodged with ease and went into her berserk mode. Red energy exploded from her body, with her enhanced speed, she appeared in front of one of them and threw her sword right through the bandit's throat, killing him instantly. The other was too shocked and didn't notice that A2 had materialized her sword mace. In that single moment, the bandit was sliced in two.

*Transition*

Zero was jumping from tree to tree. The two bandits tried to do their range attacks, but Zero kept singing notes for the attacks to disintegrate mid-air. Zero jumped down onto one of the shoulders of the bandits. Before she could end her, the bandit's partner fired a blast, so Zero evaded the shot and lunged right toward the partner, with one swing of her sword, Zero killed the person. "That's my first kill..." she said to herself. Zero looked back and saw an incoming projectile. It almost hit her, but she sang just in time to stop it. Zero began to sing a short song, and all of the sudden, the bandit froze up.

"What the? I can't move?!" she said.

"And it looks like you're going to be my second kill."

"W-wait!"

But Zero did not wait, she sliced off the top part of the bandit's head. As it rolled, A2 jumped in, her berserker form running out. "Let's go see how Kainé is doing." she said.

"Yeah, but we only help if she asks us."

"Understood. By the way, did you do that?" A2 looked at the two bodies.

"Yeah, I did. Why do you ask?"

"The first time Lars killed someone, he was shaken, but had to get over it. What about you?"

"I'm fine with killing scum like them, after all, people like them are a threat to everyone."

"Good to know, now let's go."

"Right with you."

*Transition*

Kainé was engaged with a duel to the death with Hook. "My grandma would never tell me to stop living! Never! You hear me, you shit face?!" she swung her blade at Hook. He managed to latch onto the sword and disarmed Kainé's left arm. She fired a ball of electricity at Hook. He dodged, but then she fired smaller, homing, shots. They shocked him momentarily.

"I was hoping that impression would do the trick..." he responded, "It seemed to work, didn't it, Kainé?" he asked in Kainé's grandmother's voice.

"If you think a cheap impression is gonna mess me up." Kainé moved too fast to be seen and appeared right in front of Hook. "THINK AGAIN!" she fired a black hole at close range. Using his super speed paired with a magician stone, Hook managed to evade, but not with his right arm.

"Damn..." he growled, "She's made of offensive magic..." he said to himself. He jumped into the air and formed a whip with his palm. It wrapped around the sword and he attacked Kainé from afar. Kainé fired a black hole and it swallowed up the hooked sword. "Wait, what?" He saw that Kainé concentrated, a spear made of darkness formed, and electricity surged with it, making a mixed attack. "Mixing your magi-" he was cut off when he was stabbed and shocked with the spear.

"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!"

Hook fell to the floor. Kainé walked up to him. "I haven't been alone. I've had my friends, and my new family."

"Damn it... Look, I'm sorry, let me-"

*Fade*

But he was cut off for the final time, Kainé's sword slid though his head like butter and he fell to the floor lifeless. "I did it, grandma. I got my vengeance..." said Kainé. "Now, how was that for a first kill?" she asked towards the direction where A2 and Zero were.

"Not bad, not bad at all. We wiped the bandits out. They're done for. Plus, that mixing magic part was awesome." said Zero.

"That's good to hear. Come on, let's turn it for the night."

Suddenly, A2 got a call from Lars. "Hello?"

"A2?"

"Oh, Lars. What's up?"

"So, how did the fight go?"

"How did you know there was a fight."

"Fireballs don't go flying into the air very often. Plus, all the noise, the nearby residents reported a fight, with a bunch of magic being fired."

"Oh, well in that case, we won."

"I knew it. So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, put the phone on speaker." A2 did so, "Can you all hear me?"

"Hey, little brother." said Zero.

"Sup, Lars." stated Kainé.

"Don't worry about what you guys did. Mom and I will clear that up. In fact, I think those guys had bounties on them. So you'll be fine."

"Good to know, thanks."

"You're welcome, and goodnight. I'll see you three tomorrow."

"Good night." they all said. A2 hung up the phone.

"Yeah, let's turn in." said Zero.

"Agreed." added A2. 

With that, the fight had ended, Kainé had finally claimed her vengeance and they would go home the next day, concluding the camping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta be more consistent...  
> Sorry for the long wait, I've been so busy with moving.  
> I chose Solid State Scouter because Cold Steel Coffin sounded too grim, at least to me, the fight was more of a curb-stomp in the ladies' favor because A2 and Zero were around, a fight that was more or less one sided, that was the point.  
> You'll hear the track in another story of mine coming soon. (If you even put the music on while you read that is).


	10. Graduation/Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four years have passed since Lars came back to his world. Now that he is finishing high school, he must begin the nest stage of his life. Adulthood, after this, he will no longer be a civilian anymore. He will no longer be a Field Commander either. He will now be Commander of YoRHa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just moved into a new house. Just wanna put that out there.

Lars was eighteen years old now. And the time to graduate from Gabrielino was getting closer, in fact, it was tomorrow. He had already checked out, performed one last song in front of the school with 9S and Yonah, though she graduated a year prior and was now an alumni. Despite that, she came back to be their bass player. A2 and 2B came in to sing for them, it was their last performance, and they made sure to make it good.

But right now, Lars was waiting for graduation tomorrow. The first rehearsal went well, as Lars grew, 9S did not. He looked the same as he did four years ago whilst Lars was now taller than A2 and had more muscle mass. Clearly, he had grown up into a fine man, though he considered himself a man a very long time ago. Lars was now about five nine, about as tall as A2 was if she had her heels on. "So, you're graduating tomorrow?" asked A2.

"Yeah, I guess I am." replied Lars, "Can you believe it? Four years ago, I was only fourteen, and fought in a war before I was even in high school. And now look at me, eighteen, about to graduate, and start a career in the military out of my own free will."

"Oh yeah, when I first met you, YoRHa practically forced you to be a soldier."

"Only because they couldn't do anything else. No where to send me, and didn't have the technology required to reproduce humans using my genetic makeup."

"But, we never would've won the war against the Jinzo without you, I mean, none of us wold be able to stand up to Sral if you didn't give us the lockets from God. Plus, the original plan for YoRHa, would've come to fruition and everyone would be dead."

"Yeah, so I'm glad things turned out the way they did. Hell, I even managed to find love. I swore that you would be my first and only love."

"And I swore to myself that I'd always be there when you needed me, and would always love you." responded A2.

"I'm very happy for that, thank you, A2."

"You don't need to thank me. "

"I suppose I don't."They both laughed a bit. It was getting quite close, the day of graduation. Lars then got a call on his phone. He picked it up to see that it was the Commander. "Hello?"

"Lars?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I will be at your graduation tomorrow. Many YoRHa members will also be there, do not worry, we will cheer for you." she sounded as if she was smiling for that last part, "And I have a bit more news."

"What is it?"

"I decided. Ever since I've become Minister of the North American Kingdom, it's been rather difficult to be in that position and be the commander of YoRHa at the same time. So I've decided that I'm promoting you."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Lars nearly shouted, A2 looked a bit confused, as she couldn't hear the conversation.

"Not so loud. I know you have questions, and you may ask them in a bit, but allow me to explain first. I decided to make you the Commander of YoRHa to lessen the stress on me, and because I know that you wish to have a career in the military. Now you may ask questions."

"Alright, who's going to fill the position of Field Commander?" 

"That has yet to be decided, I am considering 2B."

"So, all of YoRHa is going to be under _my_ command?"

"That is correct."

"What about the commanders? What do they think? I mean, was it even discussed with them?"

"Of course. The leader of the android corps, Anemone was all for it. Commander Markend Braunlell of the Jinzo also thought it was an excellent choice. And the Human Corps General Clement Liggett also approves. So yes, they all approved, of course, I was the one that sent the idea in the first place."

"One last question, when will the promotion ceremony be?

"About two hours after graduation. Meaning that you'd better hurry."

"Got it. See you tomorrow, then." she hung up after saying "good night" and a "love you".

"So what was that all about?" asked A2.

"It turns out that the military made the unanimous decision to make me Commander of YoRHa, I mean  _me_ , the Commander of the _entire_ elite corps made of androids known as YoRHa." Lars took a deep breath, "I can hardly believe it. I mean, it's the best of the best, the most elite force on the entire planet, and  _I'm_ leading it..."

"That's... amazing..." was all A2 could say in response, no doubt, she was also very shocked. "When is the promotion ceremony going to be?"

"Mom said about two hours after graduation, and she says that I better hurry."

"Wow, that's not a lot of time. When is graduation again?" 

"It starts at five P.M and should end around six." responded Lars, "Meaning that the ceremony takes place at around eight. Everybody already knows that I'm graduating and they're all going to be there. Guess I should tell everyone about the promotion as well. Help me out?" he asked A2.

"Gotcha." A2 began helping Lars making calls to everyone, informing them about the coming event. All of them reacted positively, shortly after the calls, there was a knock on the door. "I'll go get it." said A2. She walked over to the door and opened it, there stood everyone else who lived with them within the walls. 

"Is it true?" asked 9S.

"That Lars is getting promoted to Commander?" added 2B.

"Yeah..." responded A2, she was joined by Lars.

"It's true."

"But who will fill the position of Field Commander?" asked Adam, "Did White say so?"

"Yeah, apparently, it might be 2B." responded Lars.

"W-what? Me?" asked 2B, "But, am I really fit to be the one to fill that position? I've only ever been captain before and-"

"Oh, Mom said maybe, you just  _might_ fill the position of Field Commander."

"I see." 2B said, she had calmed down from her slight panic. "So, it's being considered then?" All of the sudden, another call came in from White, it was ringing on 2B's phone. "Hello?"

"2B, I have decided.  _You_ will fill the spot of Field Commander, Lars is going to be promoted to Commander, but I'm sure you already knew that. The ceremony will take place at the same time as Lars' promotion. Any questions?" asked the Minister.

"None at all."

"Very well, good night." and she hung up. 2B slowly put her phone down.

"It was just confirmed that I will be the one to fill the position of Field Commander." said 2B silently.

"That's great!" exclaimed Popola.

"Way to go, 2B." added Devola.

"Brother, are we going to get promoted one day?" asked Eve.

"No, unfortunately. We were honorably discharged." responded Adam, "We've been done being soldiers for a while now, Eve."

"I see."

"Well, the ceremony happens about two hours graduation, right?" asked 9S.

"That's correct." replied Lars.

"Well then, I say that it works out perfectly, we'll see you tomorrow." said Adam, "Good night." all of them said.

"Good night." responded both Lars and A2. Everyone went back to their parts of the house whilst Lars and A2 closed their doors and went back inside. Shortly after, they both went to sleep.

*The Next Day*

Lars and 9S had to go to one last rehearsal for graduation. He also noticed that White was there, she had her YoRHa slash Minister uniform on instead of her civilian clothes, "Mom?" asked Lars?

"Oh, Lars." responded White, "You may be wondering why I'm here. That's because the school knows that you are my son and wished me to deliver a few words to your class. I expect you to not mess up today, understand? That goes for both of you." said she.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" responded both 9S and Lars. She put her left hand over her chest for the salute, 9S and Lars did the same. As she walked away to talk to the principal, a few others approached Lars and 9S. 

"Was that  _really_ your mom?" asked one.

"Yeah." replied Lars, "Adoptive, but yeah." He was a bit confused, it had been years since he was fount to be the Minister's son

They all muttered, "No offense, but she is frickin' smoking!"  said another. Lars didn't know if he should be flattered or offended, did this kid just call his mom hot? But before he could say another word, they were all called over by the teacher for rehearsing. Lars decided that he shouldn't think too much about it, or surely, he would mess up, and he really didn't want to let his mother down. 

As the rehearsal went, he got more and more bored. After all, it was really just going to a certain spot, waiting for your name to be called and then walking in a certain direction. At least to him it was, after the final practice, the class was allowed to do what they wanted for a while. "Let's go to Little Tokyo, I wanna have some okonomiyaki. Y'know, for old time's sake."

"Good idea, but do you know who'd make it  _really_ complete?" responded 9S.

"Who?"

"Yonah."

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea, lemme call her." said Lars, "Yonah?" he asked on the phone. "We're free right now, you wanna go grab some okonomiyaki for old time's sake? Great, I'll open a portal for you and then we go there, sound good? Well alright then." Lars slipped his phone in his pocket, "Yeah, she'll join us." he opened a portal and she walked right through.

"I was already planning on going downtown. But, this is a great opportunity, to hang out with you guys for one last time, since we're still young." she chuckled.

"I agree." responded 9S, "C'mon, Lars. Let's go."

"Yeah." Lars opened a portal to downtown L.A and they went. After getting a table relatively quickly, they sat and waited to be served their food. "So, Yonah. If you're not gonna go to college, what  _are_ you planning to do?"

"Well, join the military, of course." she said.

"Wait, you're gonna join the military?" asked 9S.

"Yeah, it took a lot of thought, but I decided that I would enlist." the food had arrived and they started to eat. "What about you guys?"

"Well, 2B and I are going back to the military. And I believe A2 is as well." Lars nodded.

"And I'm also rejoining the military. In fact, I'm being promoted right off the bat."

"Oh yeah, A2 told me last night about it. So, what do you think about it?"

"Personally, I'm kinda nervous. I'm gonna be the Commander of the most elite fighting force on the planet. And to make me even more unique, I'm a cyborg that can use magic in a force made of androids that have zero magical capabilities."

"That sounds pretty alright to me." replied Yonah, taking a bite of the food, "If you ask me, that's really cool."

"I didn't say it wasn't. I'm just kinda nervous."

"Don't be." said 9S, "You fought against alternate versions of you and survived, I think that's pretty good in it's own right." 

"Thanks Nines." said Lars.

"He's right, you fought a war didn't you? And you commanded troops as well? So what's to get scared about commanding troops in a time of peace?" asked Yonah.

"Yeah, you guys are right, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'll just do what I did in the past, minus the fighting."

"There we go, Lars." said 9S. They spent the rest of their lunch talking about other topics, such as the new teams in combatants and how some of them were quite good, and others, well, not so much. After lunch, the trio walked around Los Angeles a bit more and talked. A few hours later, they returned to the graduation area, other students were returning, and it was almost time for the actual ceremony. Parents were starting to come in, people were getting a bit anxious. 

It wasn't hard, seeing as many YoRHa soldiers dressed in more formal, yet civilian clothing were also coming in. Lars could spot most of the Will-O'the-Wisps crew coming in, among, them he spotted, 18O, 91O, 6O, and 21O and many others, even Mikhail, Kantress, Quinn, Varius, and Alvine were there. He saw 2B, A2, Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola as well. They were also dressed formally for the occasion. Lars could also spot Nier, Weiss, Emil, Kainé, Yonah, and Zero. Unfortunately, the dragon Mikhail couldn't come, but he gave his regards Many people were also commenting on how attractive the YoRHa androids were.

After everyone came in and settled down, the graduation ceremony began. The principal gave a few words and then handed the microphone over to White. "Ladies and gentlemen, families and friends of the class of 2021, I thank you all of coming today. Before I get to the main part, I would like to tell you a story. Had it not been for a single person, the androids you've known for the past four years would all be dead. We were stuck in an endless war against living machines, then artificial humans that wanted that person's head on a stick. That race destroyed what was left of the original human race in our universe, so we lost our resolve to fight."

"But that one person, that one hero, I would call him, saved it all. With a single speech, he bought everyone's resolve to fight back. And we fought until we won, finally earning us the chance to come to a place where we can serve our purpose and call out home. So if you were to ask, 'Who is really the savior of this world?', I would point to that one person and say his name. Though you probably know his name, I ask you do not call it. However, for those of you who do not know, I'm certain you can figure it out when you hear. Thank you." as White left the middle stage to her side, the band began to play, it was time for names to start being called. 

The principal and White began calling names up. Lars' last name started with "A", so he was among some of the first to be called. "Lars Alexandersson." said White, she pointed at him, showing that he was the savior. Lars stood and began to walk, he was given a hug by White and she gave him his folder. The YoRHa troops cheered the loudest, everyone that Lars recognized stood to clap, A2 had a very big smile on her face, she was very happy, and she was visibly cheering. Everyone clapped and he even heard chants from the Will-O'the-Wisp's crew, calling him 0C, he smiled as he walked down the aisle. 

After more names, 9S was called and the YoRHa troops cheered yet again. All of them, including 2B, were either cheering or were smiling whilst they clapped at their full strength. As 9S walked, he blushed a bit that he was getting so much attention, 21O even cheered for him, and 2B was one of the one's that cheered. Afterwards, the rest of the names of the people were called up. Everyone went to go receive their diplomas, and it happened rather quickly, once outside, the entire class was greeted by their families and friends.

Proud parents were taking pictures left and right, people rejoiced that they had made it through. Lars met up with all of his friends and family. They all took pictures of him and 9S in their gowns, forever putting this moment in their memories. As they took more pictures with their friends, A2 and Lars decided to kiss in front of everyone. 2B and 9S did the same. "Y'know, I'm going to miss being a singer and guitarist for your little band."

"I'm going to miss playing in a band period." responded Lars, "It was fun while it lasted I guess." 

After taking a few more pictures, Lars wished those he knew at school good luck during college and then turned to his friends. White, Jinzo Mikhail, Kantress and the YoRHa troops had already left to go to the YoRHa Command Center.

"So, your promotion, where was it held again?" asked Kainé.

"At the YoRHa Command Center. The main hall, you guys should get going, I'll open a portal home first so we can grab our uniforms, see you guys there. Their friends left and Lars, along with the other four went home to put their uniforms on. A2 was back in her armor, 9S and 2B were also in their uniforms. Lars had finally put on his long-coat once again, it had been modified by Devola and Popola to fit him, but it was still the same long-coat he wore four years ago. Lars opened a portal for 9S and A2 to go first. Then opened a portal to another area where 2B and him were supposed to go.

"You ready, 2B?" asked Lars.

"Ready when you are, Sir." she responded.

"Being all formal already? Well then, don't be, I'm still you friend. Putting it in you words, calling me 'Sir' is unnecessary."

"Very well then, I'm ready when you are, Lars."

"That's better." Lars and 2B smiled and they walked through. Two rows of North American troops lined up to the entrance of the Commander Center, all of them clapping and cheering. Once inside, the halls also had soldiers cheering. Marcus Harrison was also there, "Marcus?"

"Oh, hey there, Sir. Congratulations on your upcoming promotion. I'm also here to watch, see you inside." said he, walking away to the main hall. 

"Alright, 2B. Moment of truth." stated Lars. 2B nodded, as if she was saying "Let's do this." and they opened the doors. In there was all of YoRHa, and the three other Commanders, Anemone of the Regular Android Corps., Markend Braunlell of the Jinzo, and Clement Liggett of the Human Corps. Not only that, but The Council of Humanity (the leaders of the other nations) were also there. The Minister of North America, White (Of course). The President of South America, Benedito Leitão Rodrigues, Europe's Führer, a female elf named, Shalia Glynwynn, the King of Africa, a younger boy, Zubayr Mourad, Asia's Emperor, Lord Ushio, and the Duke of Oceania, Eliana Lachman.

In the chairs were everyone that Lars saw at graduation. Now, he was right there, surrounded many important people. Two soldiers stood at the leaders' sides. 9S and A2 stood by White. "Come forward." said she. Both Lars and 2B began walking forward until they got to her. "YoRHa cyborg, 0C and YoRHa unit 2B. Today is a very important day in YoRHa's history. For you will be the second ever Commander of YoRHa, and you will be the second Field Commander that YoRHa has ever had." she said to both Lars and 2B, "Are there any objections from the both of you?"

"None, ma'am." said 2B.

"None at all." added Lars,

"Very well, before I do it, Lord Ushio has some words for you, 0C."

The Emperor stood to his feet and walked over to Lars, "Your birth mother would be very proud of you. As her friend, I know it."

"Thank you, Lord Ushio." responded Lars. 

"Very well. Then, 0C for your actions back in our old world, proving yourself worthy of this title, I award you, the rank of Commander." She grabbed a sword and did what medieval people did to knight people back in the day. She put the blade on one side of his head, "By the will of the Council, by the will of the military, I hereby dub thee, Commander of YoRHa." After giving the sword to A2, 9S opened a box with the Commander insignia inside of it. "As for you, I hereby announce that you are now the Field Commander of YoRHa." she took the badge and positioned it on 2B's left shoulder, and it fastened onto her shoulder. "You may rise."

Both 2B and Lars stood up. She saluted by putting her hand on her chest. Everyone in the building did the same, "Glory! To Mankind!" she shouted.

"Glory! To Mankind!" shouted every YoRHa soldier back.

Lars was a Commander now. He knew what Lord Ushio said was true, he could feel it, his mother's face. That wide grin, and saying how proud she was of him, for not only graduating, but becoming Commander of an elite corps. He just wished she was in the building to see it. But, he knew she was watching.

Just not there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> People knew that Lars was a soldier, but were still a bit frightened that so many YoRHa androids came to a high school graduation.


	11. Where it all Began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now ten years have passed since World War Three, and the Android Jinzo War. Lars, now an adult, decides to go back, back to where everything started, the other world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a small break, but now I'm back.

It was dawn. An additional six years have passed since then. The day that Lars became the commander of all YoRHa. Though the Earth was at peace, he still had responsibilities, but right now was his time off. He sat up from the bed, now at his age of twenty-four, he was all grown up. His hairstyle, same as the day he changed it permanently. Clearly, he was much older now. In fact, he had gotten even taller, now he was at least six feet, but, still a bit shorter than his mother.

He sat up from his bed, A2 lay beside him, quietly sleeping. Though she didn't need it, Lars thought that he would let her sleep some more. It was early morning, so Lars decided that now would be a good time for a walk. Lars grabbed some clothes and headed out, he was finally able to wear it, well, he could wear it four years ago. The design that A2's tailor, Russel, had given her to give to him. It was a black dress shirt with a wing design on the upper-back and shoulder. His pants were white, with a lion design on both of the legs. Red gloves and dress shoes adorned his hands and feet.

Lars went to town, it was peaceful. Pollution was not much of a problem anymore, clean energy was practically everywhere. In fact, three years ago, humanity had finally made colonies on the moon, thanks to YoRHa. In fact, the time to go to Mars was getting closer and closer, but Lars didn't worry about that right now. The oceans were now nearly almost discovered, and as luck would have it, there were indeed creatures far more massive than the blue whale, in fact, bigger than the bloop. It was a massive life-form known as the Gozus, a massive salamander-like creature with a height that could rival the Jinzo castle.

He walked around the town, and eventually made it to Eden Cafe. Lars was quick to decide that he would just bring some bread home, so he went inside. "Oh, Lars." said Adam, "You're the first customer of the day. What brings you here to early?"

"I just decided to have an early morning walk." responded Lars, "What's good today?"

"Oh, you know. The coconut bread is doing quite well."

"Then I'll have that." 

"Popola! Lars would like a coconut bread." called Adam. Lars heard some rustling in the back and saw a familiar red-headed android come right out. 

"Here you are." she said as she handed Lars the bread.

"Thanks, Popola. How much was it again?" asked Lars.

"No, it's on the house. Don't worry about it. We're still technically closed right now."

"Well at least let me do something to make up for it. I'd feel bad otherwise." 

"Well, if you put it that way. Then can you help set up the place a bit?" asked Adam, "Devola and Eve aren't here yet, and it seems that I must have maintenance done on me. My leg isn't working very well."

"That's better." said Lars, he ate some of the bread, then he opened a portal leading to his home and then . He put on the apron of Eden Cafe above his clothes, took his gloves off, and rolled up his sleeves. Lars began to help Popola around the shop. When opening time finally came, Devola and Eve also arrived, they were delighted to see Lars. So he decided that he would work at Eden for a bit. Of course, he texted A2 beforehand so she would know why he just disappeared. He worked until it had hit noon, that's when he decided to go. 

A2 was waiting for him when he got home. "How was work?" she asked.

"It was alright." responded Lars, "Say, do you know what day it is?" asked Lars.

"It's July first. Why?"

Lars went silent. It was nearly July second. On that day, ten years ago, Lars was pulled into that other world. The world where he fought, experienced many things, lost, hardship, sadness, and at the same time, happiness. It was that time which had molded him into the man he was now, the first ever human commander of YoRHa, and a decorated war hero as well. 

"Lars?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I just wanted to know the date." said he quickly. Before A2 could say anything else, Lars went to go change into normal clothing. In the bedroom, he wondered what he should do, since it had nearly been ten years since he had gone to that world. He could hear the door open and close, and when he went out into the living room, 2B and 9S were also there. 

"Alright, what's wrong?" asked 9S, looking the same as he was ten years ago. "Something about the date set you off?" 

"You could say that." replied Lars. 

"So, what is it? you can tell us, you know." added 2B.

"Well, I'm twenty-four for starters."

"Okay. So what?" said 9S.

"Remember when I was fourteen? Ten years ago? When I first met all of you."

They all widened their eyes. Suddenly they knew why he was talking about this. Through those ten years, they had nearly forgotten when Lars came in. July second was tomorrow, and that meant that Lars was bought to that world the next day. "I see now." said 2B, breaking the silence, "I see what you meant. So, what are you going to do?" 

"I don't know just yet." the thought suddenly popped into Lars' head and he decided immediately what to do. "Actually, I do." said he.

"Well, then let's hear it." said 9S.

"Well, I'm planning to go into the other universe. Just for a bit, and visit a few places that mean a lot to me. I know that going back might bring back some unpleasant memories, which is why I'm also saying that you guys don't have to come along." 

"Are you kidding?" asked A2, "Of course I'm coming with you. The place where we first met, and where all of us bonded as friends, and so much more." 

"You can count me in, too." said 9S, "I know it's not a place I'm particularly fond of, but, I have to remember where we came from." They all looked at 2B, awaiting her answer. 

"I'm in." she said quickly. "When do we head out?" 

"I'd say tomorrow at ten. Put your uniforms on and grab a weapon or two. We may run into a few stray enemies or so."

"Understood." replied 2B, "Come, 9S." and with that, 2B and 9S left Lars' part of the home. 

"So, what do you want to do today?" asked A2.

"Do you want to go out? Just us two, haven't done that in a while." suggested Lars.

"That sounds nice. Let me get dressed." A2 went to the bedroom for a bit and then changed into some clothes more fit for the outdoors.

After A2 came out, Lars also went to go change, and he wore the same outfit he wore earlier. They both went to the park, talked about various things and decided to go to that one restaurant in town that was really nice, so they went home for A2 to dress more appropriately, she wasn't exactly used to a dress, but she could make do with it. As they sat there, Lars felt a bit sad. Tomorrow, he would be returning to the hell that was that world. Sure, he experienced bliss at the same time because of whom he met and befriended, but that didn't stop the war, that didn't stop his injuries, that didn't stop Sral and his men from killing many of his comrades.

"Lars?" asked A2?

"Hm? Oh, yeah." he responded. He took a sip out of his drink.

"You're conflicted about what may happen tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Kind of. I mean, we  _did_ leave a lot back there. Androids who deserted and didn't come back, very possibly Jinzo remnants, stray machines, a lot of things."

"Whatever we find there, I'm sure we'd be able to handle it. Anything."

"Thanks. I think I needed to hear that from you." responded Lars.

Afterwards, the duo went home for the day and decided to prepare for the day that was tomorrow. Lars prepared his uniform and informed White that he would be going to the other world. She said that she was not against it what-so-ever. A2 asked the twin pairs if they wanted to go, but they politely declined. A2 prepared her sword and so did Lars. He also told everyone else that he would be venturing into the the world his friends hailed from. 2B and 9S were also found-out to be preparing a sword and a uniform. Lars considered to put his combat arm on, but decided that his civilian arm would be all that was needed.

Eventually, the time came to go to sleep. And when the two did, they only wondered what they would encounter tomorrow. 

*The Next Day*

Lars, A2, 2B, and 9S all met up. They were all in their uniforms and they each had one weapon with them. A2 had her sword-mace, a weapon that served as a personal favorite of her's back in the war. 2B had the sword that she always carried, Virtuous Contract. 9S had his sword, Cruel Oath, originally the blade was a dark-gold, now it was a deep green, forever to be like that ever since that night in the desert. And Lars had the unnamed sword that Caim had given him, all that time ago. "This is your last chance to back out. Remember, our past may very well come back to haunt us." said Lars.

"I'm going in." responded 2B, "And I'm coming back here with no regrets, and that's final."

"Don't worry about us. We made our decisions a long time ago. Question is, are  _you_ going to be alright when we see what we see?" asked 9S.

"You got me there, you ready, A2?" 

"Yeah, let's do this."

"Very well. Here goes." Lars didn't need to search deep within himself this time. For this time, the portal didn't need to be massive, and that he mastered portals across universes the moment he bought the YoRHa androids into this world. So he shot out his hand, and the portal opened up, leading to the other world. The four walked through to that universe for the final time.

They stood on top of the ruined building that Lars had awakened. The sky was completely clear, the wind blew, and it was just as bright as the day when Lars woke up. The plants were still overgrown, and covered much of the city. How many years had it been? Four months meant only a week in Universe Zero, so how much time had passed? Then Lars realized it. It had been about seventeen years since the war. Something caught their eyes, there was the sword that Lars had first used, it was now completely rusted, and the jacket that was once on top of it was gone. That was understandable, considering it had been over ten years.

"So, here we are again. Where I first woke up." stated Lars. He walked over to the ledge and pointed to a certain area, "And that's where I met all of you." It was the spot where the four had their duels to the death going. They decided that sticking around here wasn't all they would do, so they went to the area where the Resistance Camp once was. It was just an empty plaza now, there weren't even marks of where certain buildings were. They heard rustling, "Did you hear that?" asked Lars.

"Sounds like something's there. Come on out!" called 9S.

"Wait! Don't hurt us!" said an android. She walked out, with her hands up. Next, a man walked out, also with his hands up. 

"Hang on, you're-" said 2B.

"2B? 9S?" asked the woman, "How?"

"Who are they?" asked Lars.

"They're an android couple that deserted the Resistance a long time ago. We let them go, can't tell you why." responded 9S.

"Hang on, that's the deserter, right? And who's the other one?" asked the male.

"My name is Lars, but in YoRHa terms, my name is 0C. YoRHa unit 0, Type Cyborg."

"C-cyborg? Wait, that mean's... You're the human that just appeared one day! You have to be!" the female nearly shouted.

"Yeah, I am. But don't worry, we're not here to arrest you. There'd be no point, the war has been over for years."

"Then, what are you all here for?"

"Just for old time's sake." said 9S.

"Actually, can we ask you a question?" asked the male android.

"Go on ahead."

"After the war against the artificial humans ended, you guys just dissapeared. Where did you all go?"

"We left this world." replied 2B before anyone else could say something. "The Commander's world needed help, so there we went. There was no longer any point for us to stay in this world."

"Wha-? What do you mean? Aren't humans  _from_ the Earth?"

"That's not what she meant. We left the universe. Lars is from a parallel dimension, one where humanity needed help, so after collecting what he needed here, he helped all of us jump to his world. It was there where we finally got the closure we needed." said A2.

"That's... hard to believe, but given the circumstances, it would explain how all of you just disappeared." said the female, she suddenly got an idea, "Could we... Do you think we could go there as well? We're all alone here... It's getting quite stale..."

"By all means." responded Lars, he opened a portal leading back to his world, "You guys will be pardoned, just look for Anemone, I'm sure she'll forgive you guys. After all, the war is behind all of us, and you aren't soldiers anymore, so just live as civilians."

"Y-you mean it?"

"Yeah, go on in, you guys can live as civilians, as long as you two know how things go, you'll survive. Just ask Anemone."

The two androids began walking though, and they looked back, "Thank you. This means a lot to us."

"Not a problem. Bye now." he closed the portal and they all agreed to keep on going. 

The next destination was the old hangar for the Will-O'the-Wisp. It wasn't the way they left it, in fact, without the maintenance and cleaning, it had fallen into disrepair. Plants overtook it, and rust was apparent on all the metal. After they left, they visited the sink hole, remnants of the Tower that once stood there remained. The chunks of white material lay there on the ground, Jinzo weapons and their skeletons, what was left of them. Some machines got the slip on them, but they were easily dispatched. Lars swung his sword once and cut one in half almost instantly. 

9S hacked one and it exploded, taking out the other machines around it. A2 easily smashed the head of a large one in, and 2B destroyed several with a few swings of her sword. "I think we should go deeper into this place. I want to see what became of Adam's city." said Lars. They all mutually agreed on it and down they went. When they finally got to the elevator, Lars hesitated a bit to press the button.

"What's wrong?" asked A2.

"Well, to be honest, I'm a bit scared to see what has happened to this place. Since Adam and Eve haven't been taking care of it anymore, it might be awful." replied Lars.

"Well, we made a commitment. Let's go, anyway." stated 2B.

"That's right." added A2.

"Alrighty then..." Lars pushed the button and the four stepped in. As they descended the pressure grew a bit. The doors opened, Lars braced himself to see...

 

The Copied City that was in perfect condition...

 

"W-what?" asked 9S, "HOW?" he nearly shouted. 

"This place... it's the same?" asked 2B, "Just how is that possible?

"Analysis: This entire area is made of crystallized silicon and carbon. The color is made from an unknown substance. Final Answer: This place is unable to decay or erode. The being known as Adam had made it so." explained Pod-042.

"That explains a lot." said A2, "This place, in the last few years, it stayed the same, not changing even in the slightest. Guess that tells us a lot about Adam."

"Yeah, c'mon, we have a few more places to visit." said Lars, this time, they wasted no time using the elevator. Instead, Lars opened a portal leading to a certain place. The four walked in and saw that it was Pascal's village. Lars realized that ever since that incident, he had not seen Pascal. He was far too busy dealing with Sral to even give the machine a thought. The buildings that were once houses stood there, now as empty husks of metal. Machine parts littered the surrounding area. 

"Pascal..." said A2 quietly, she looked at the slide that she had built so long ago. Children used to play on it,  _she_ played on it (granted, she was forced to). They looked around, the tree had recovered, it's branches now spreading out once again, but it would never be the same. Without another word, Lars opened a portal to the remnants of Solvang. He went to the Jinzo Lucas and Rachel's graves. 

Lars took something out of his pocket. It was Lucas and Rachel's rings that they gave him. "I hope I managed to deliver Sral back to you guys. If he was lost to you, then that would make you guys sad. You two may have been different versions and copies of the real ones, but, you're still my parents. And I want the best for you two." Lars looked at the rings, "I think I know why you gave these to me. To hold onto until I didn't need them anymore. As a good luck charm, so, here you go." He put their rings on top of their graves. "Thank you."

Lars then opened a portal leading to the place where he buried this world's Emil. "Hey there bud." he said, "Did you know that you're twenty-three in my world? I mean, you  _did_ have a chance to grow up there, and live you life as you should've. Look, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything for you. I should've been able to stop Kuro from corrupting you."

"Emil, you were a great help." said 9S, "And we'll be sure to keep you safe. We promise." 

After saying a few more words to Emil, they went to the desert. Dan's body was long gone. In fact, there wasn't even a skeleton there. Only his sword and shield remained, chipped and rusted. No one said a thing, up until 9S walked up to the spot where Dan had died those years ago. "I held onto this for a very long time." he materialized the Book of Fates. "Lars managed to change  _his_ fate. So why couldn't you change yours?" he asked. He wanted to scold Dan, but he couldn't bring himself to, "I was too strong for you, huh? Well, I may not be so sure about that, but I'm sure about this. I forgave you a long time ago. Goodbye Dan, you should have your book back." 9S placed the Book of Fates next to the sword and shield. With the wind, the pages blew open and flipped around.

"I think it's time to go to our final destination." said Lars.

"Right. Let's go." responded 2B.

"Yeah, to Avalon..." added A2.

Lars opened up the portal and they walked through. 

In front of them were the ruined gates of Avalon. The once-proud city was now in pieces. Buildings lay, demolished, in pieces, and yet, not a Jinzo body in sight. Ruined buildings with fallen androids, now just their skeletons as their artificial skin had disintegrated long ago. The four walked through the city, destroyed barriers, vines, scattered weapons, and blood stains littered the place. They looked up at the castle, it still stood tall, even with chunks of it missing it still was a magnificent structure. 

Lars looked at the area where Sral had died. There was no body, not even a skeleton, only his sword stabbed into the ground. The sword reminded him of many things, it was the sword that his blade had clashed against so many times, it was the sword that killed countless YoRHa troops, the blade that injured his friends, and the sword that had cut into his flesh numerous times. Lars did nothing but stare at it, after a while he looked back to the others, who were looking around, seeing what they had destroyed years ago. The four of them were completely silent whilst they looked around, that is, until a voice spoke up.

"Oh, who might you four be?" asked a voice.

The group's heads spun around, their hands on their swords, just ready to be drawn for combat. But they stopped once they saw who the source of the voice was. There stood a very odd looking machine, it's head was not a round sphere, instead, it was something more of a cylinder shape. For human standards, it definitely looked more humanoid than the other typical machines. 

"P-Pascal...?" asked 2B.

"Pascal? Who might that be?" asked the machine.

2B was about to say something else, but A2 grabbed her shoulder. 2B turned to A2, who silently shook her head slowly. All of them were reminded, that Pascal wasn't that friendly, nature loving, happy machine that they knew anymore. Now, he was only a machine who had spent the last few years wandering all over the place, getting into the Jinzo capital of Avalon. "You needn't worry." said Lars, "We aren't here to bring harm."

"Oh? Hang on, your uniforms. Are you part of that android army?" asked he.

"Yes, but as I've said before, we aren't here to hurt you." 

"I see." said the machine with joy. Knowing that he would be safe.

"Do you have a name?" asked 9S. 

"Well, I only have a number as a name. It's Unit-029. But if I had to give myself a name, it would 'Pascal'. I keep seeing it in these things called books. I'm quite fond of them." The four looked sad. Of all the things to name himself, he chose his old name. The one that he willingly asked to be erased, the one that Lars and 9S had destroyed, along with the rest of him. "Well, I should get going. I have a great many more things to collect. But it was to meet you four, it's rather lonely. The only other beings I run into are other members of my kind, or a human-like machine, but they die very quickly. Listen to me ramble on, could I get your names?"

"It's 2B.

"Mine's 9S."

"I'm A2."

"Lars."

"Ah, those names. Somehow, even though I've never met you before, they somehow ring a bell inside of me." Lars' heart sank, even if they erased his memories, that feeling of knowing someone, it never disappears. That was the worst part, of he remembered them, surely, he would remember the other events that took place on that day. "Well I hope we can meet again, good bye." said he before walking off to the distance, never to be seen by the four again.

That was the last time they would see Pascal, they knew it. "One last place for old time's sake?" asked A2.

"Where do you want to go?" asked Lars. 

"Somewhere private." she responded.

"Got it, we'll head back to the building where you first woke up. See you there." said 9S. He and 2B began to run over to the building. As they did, A2 whispered the location into Lars' ear, and he complied.

He opened a portal to a compound. Lars recognized it as the place where A2 had confessed her love for him ten years ago. "A2, this place..."

"Yeah. Here." she responded. "It was here where I first told you that I love you ten years ago."

"I remember that day like it was yesterday." A2's back was turned toward him, "Hey." A2 turned and Lars instantly kissed her, back then, she had to lean in and bend her knees a bit to kiss him. But now, he was the one leaning in a bit to kiss her, due to his height. "You... wanna do something fun when we get home?" asked Lars.

"You mean... that?" asked A2.

"Yeah, I mean. I'm of age now, and let's face it, we've both wanted it for a while now."

"Alright then, when we get home."

They kissed in the spot one last time before they finally met up with the other two. Finally, it was time for them to go home. They had been to this world for the final time. Seen all the places that had a huge significance, and now, it was time to go, for good.

They walked into the portal, never to step foot in this realm, ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lars' outfit that I mentioned is like his casual wear in Tekken.  
> The time that passed may or may not be right, if you know the true answer please tell me so I can correct it.  
> Four months is a week in Universe Zero, so ten years means approximately 521 weeks. There are 120 months in ten years, divided by four is thirty. So if I'm correct, 521/30 is approximately 17.  
> I think it's right.  
> Can you guess what happened to Lars?


	12. Journey Through Other Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has their own shenanigans in life. However, none have it like Lars Alexandersson of Zero Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just me putting in filler. But hey, there's a Tekken tag for a reason.  
> BTW one of the worlds that Lars transfers to is going to be to happen in a future story, so make sure you pay attention.

Lars woke up in the bed. A2 lay beside him, yesterday was quite the trip. But last night was the real kicker. It was amazing, in fact, Lars was still a bit shocked himself, not being able to believe what he and A2 did last night, after all, it was his first time, and when he was twenty-four. Lars looked at the clock, it was nine, he had slept in more so than usual. Lars placed his hand on A2's shoulder and began to softly shake her awake. "C'mon, A2. Time to wake up, sleepyhead." he said lovingly.

"Mmmm... Do we have to get up?" asked A2, groggily. "Or at least so soon?"

"No... I suppose not." since Lars was still a bit tired, he decided to sleep a bit more. He wrapped his arms around A2, which in turn made her smile. That was what Lars liked the most, when she smiled, though she did it so often now, he still liked it when she did. It didn't take long for him to go back to sleep.

*An Hour Later*

When he awoke, A2 was gone. She was wearing one of his shirts, a long sleeve one. It draped over her body like it was nothing. The sleeves were far too long, and the shirt managed to actually go down to her thighs. "This shirt... It's really comfortable." she said. "Good morning, Lars."

"Morning A2. What time is it?" asked Lars to himself. He picked up the clock and looked. It was now ten, so he got up, but then remembered he was completely naked. So, he opened a portal to the bathroom and began to wash. When he came out, he was all dressed up. 

"Last night was... amazing." said A2. "I never really thought it would feel like that." she added.

"Yeah, me neither." responded Lars, "But to think my first time would be at twenty-four."

"Well, you  _did_ say that you would be very busy since you became the Commander of YoRHa, it turns out you were right. It was nice of the Minister to give us a few days off. But I think today ends our little break. It's too bad, who knows when we can do this again."

"Well, it was nice while it lasted. I mean-" Lars got a notification on his YoRHa tablet. "You should come back to work today. We need you to test some things out.   -White." It said. "Looks like we gotta go back. Right then, get dressed, it's time to get back to work."

"Right." A2 went to put her uniform, which was her armor, on. Whilst she did this, Lars grabbed his long-coat and put it on, along with the pants and his combat arm. A2 took a look at the tablet and said, "Looks like we won't be coming back here for a while. Better lock the place up for a bit. "

"Yeah, I know." replied Lars, they both checked if anything was left on. After they made sure the house would be safe, Lars and A2 began walking out the door. They locked it and saw 2B and 9S doing the same, also in their uniforms. "You guys got a notification, too?" called Lars.

"Yeah." said 2B, walking over with 9S. "Apparently, some new things are being tested out, and we're to come as well."

"I'm just wondering what they're going to be testing out. I'm pretty sure it's classified, so, let's not talk about it here and at the head quarters." said 9S.

"Let's go." replied Lars. He opened a portal to the head quarters. They were saluted as Lars was Commander and 2B was Field Commander. Lars swiped his card and scanned his eyes to gain access to the testing room. As standard protocol only allowed one soldier to enter at a time, 2B, A2, and 9S had to do the same thing to enter the room. When all four of them entered, they were greeted by White standing there, and YoRHa Operators and Scanners. "So, what am I testing?"

"Commander, please, take this." said 18O before White could say anything. It was some kind of glove that had a circular object on top of it. The object connected with a switch that was in his palm, as he put it on, White began to speak.

"Today, we need you to jump through other universes." she said.

"But it can't be done. I mean, I can only open up portals to places I've actually  _been_ to." responded Lars.

"That's where that glove comes in. It was made for you in mind, it reads your magical ability and allows you to jump anywhere. You can set it to where you want to go. But you'll need to have the right co-ordinates. As of now, it's set on random. Try pressing the circle on top." she said. Lars did so, and then a holographic screen popped up, the number zero was shown. "Universe Zero." said White, "You turn the dial for a number and then you press it to set a number, after you've picked a desired universe. I recommend that you have an oxygen supply, who knows where it'll send you. You can also switch it to teleporting to other areas of the Earth, it's a voice activated function. It'll also scan the Earth you may be on for all possible locations, it comes with a map of wherever you are."

"Alright then. So, why do you need these?" asked 9S.

"It's for the event where we must evacuate people. This is only a small version of our portal machine. As you know, a mission to Mars is right around the corner. The Moon already has colonies. After Mars is complete, we're going to expand, so we must make slip space a thing." responded White. "9S, take you position. You'll be helping operate the communications."

"Wait, so if there's any emergency where we need to leave the planet, we'll need another universe to go to?"

"That's only in extreme emergencies, where an enemy could potentially be attacking any and all planets we possibly colonized."

"That... makes enough sense, I guess."

"Good, any more questions?"

"What about us?" asked 2B, A2 stood behind her. 

"You both should know how to help operate Lars' World Jumper. Sit yourselves down over there." responded White. She pointed over to another console, 91O was sitting there. She looked up and waved.

"Don't worry, I'll be guiding you guys." she said, flashing a thumbs up. 

"Good luck." said A2, she lightly punched Lars and then went to go sit down in the seat. 

They all began working the machines. Lars put his ear-piece in and prepared for the all-green. 

"Systems, starting up." said 9S. 

"Beginning to activate the World Jumper, power supplies: nominal. At eighty percent... eighty-three... It's at ninety. You are ready to begin jumping, Commander." said 91O. 

"Oxygen supply is up and running. You'll have two hours worth of it." said 18O.

"Remember, turn the dial for the desired number and press the top. Once you have the desired number, squeeze you hand. Voice command to go anywhere on the planet, got it?" asked White.

"Got it." Lars looked at the jumper. "Setting to random. Oxygen supply at the ready. Jumping in three... two... one...!" Lars squeezed his hand. A blinding light formed and a booming sound shook the room. All of the sudden, he was no where to be seen.

*Transition*

A blinding flash of light shined everywhere and Lars appeared. He looked around, he was definitely on Earth, but on a completely different location, he was in a forest. He pressed the button on is ear-piece. "This is YoRHa Commander 0C, YoRHa head-quarters, do you copy? Over."

"We read you loud and clear Commander. Looks like it was a success. Judging from out readings, your signal isn't coming from anywhere on our Earth. Your ear-piece has a built in camera, activate it." said 9S. Lars looked at his ear-piece and twisted something off. It was a small drone. "We see it. Huh, we don't know where you are. Try going somewhere."

Lars looked at the World Jumper, the Earth was just the same as his. He saw "Los Angeles". "Take me to Los Angeles." he said. He squeezed the World-Jumper and was suddenly transported right to Los Angeles. He looked around, "The Convention Center?" he asked. He saw many people, many of them cosplayers, all of them lined up to go in. "Anime Expo?" asked Lars, he looked at the banners. It was 2019, even though it was 2027 in universe Zero. 

"Nines? Everybody? You all seeing this?" he asked. 

"Yeah, it's Anime Expo, and 2019?" asked 9S, "Oh yeah, not all the universe's times are synced. What universe is this?" 

"Looks like it's Universe Nine. It's really similar to us. Except I don't see YoRHa or anything-" he paused. "Um... Guys?"

*Transition*

Over on everybody else's end, they saw 2B, 9S, A2. "What the? Cosplayers? How? YoRHa shouldn't exist in that Universe." asked 2B. On the cameras, they spotted Lars and began heading over to him. "Lars? Why are they coming towards you?"

"I don't know." he responded, "Should I go?"

"No, you'll give yourself away. Just talk." said White.

"Understood."

*Transition*

"That's a really good cosplay!" said the 2B excitedly. 

"This isn't a-" but it was too late, they already looked around him. His long-coat and all the details. 

"Huh, it says YoRHa on the back, but I've never seen the lion in the game. So, who  _are_ you cosplayed as?" asked the 9S.

"Um..." responded Lars, "Wait, game?" he asked.

"Um... Yeah. Nier Automata, it's a great game. Nice visuals, good story, and a badass soundtrack! You mean to tell me you've never played it?" asked the A2, "Wait a minute. That hairstyle, you're also Lars Alexandersson?"

"Wait, what?" asked Lars, "How do you know my name?"

"You  _reall_ _y_ like to be in character don't you? Y'know, the Tekken character, that hairstyle of yours, and you even look a lot like him." said the 2B. "Are you Lars but mixed with YoRHa clothes? They look really cool, and the material feels really militaristic."

"Y-yeah, I'm a mix of Lars and a YoRHa soldier. Heh heh..." said Lars nervously. 

"Hey, your arm!" said the A2.

"My arm?"

"Yeah, it looks awesome!" she grabbed it before Lars could say anything. She took her gloves off, "It's metal?" she looked up, "Wow, you must be kinda rich to get this, our weapons are made of different materials like foam and plastic, but your arm is legit metal!"

"Oh, yeah. My arm is made of metal."

"Hey guys! Looks like the lines getting bigger, we should get a move on." said the 9S.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Lars. Before we go, can we get a picture?" asked the 2B. 

"S-sure." responded Lars. The 2B proceeded to take out her phone and with the other two, snapped a picture of them with Lars.

"Thanks! Hope you get in! See ya later!" they said, running to get into the line. 

"Y-yeah, see you." responded Lars, "That's that. I'm gonna go to an area where no one can see me. Then I'll keep going." 

"Good idea, we spot an alley-way near you, go there. Watch out for cars." said 18O. Lars quickly ran to the alley-way and switched to number three. He squeezed his hand and a flash of light appeared. When it dispelled, Lars was also gone. When he teleported into universe three, he was in what appeared to be a black landscape. He realized that he couldn't breathe at all. It's like there was no oxygen, only carbon. Frantically, he put his breather to his face and began breathing normally again.

"W-where  _am_ I?" asked Lars, "A desert?"

"You're in Universe Three right now. said 9S on the other side, "We're taking a look on the Earth right now. Oh..." 

"What is it?" 

"Run a scan on the Earth's surface." said 21O. 

"Sir, you're on Earth. But, it's been glassed."

"Wait, what? What do you mean by 'glassed'?"

"That stuff you're standing on is very similar to obsidian, but scans indicate that you're in what's left of a city."

Lars took a look at the map. He was somewhere in Berlin, Germany. "Can you guys run a scan on the plane for any signs of life? All I see is this obsidian looking stuff."

"Running a scan now." said 6O, "No signs of life, Sir... You're the only living organism on the planet." she said rather sadly. It was understandable considering she was also fascinated with baby animals and the plants such as flowers, among many other forms of life. 

"The Earth of universe three is a no-go. This place is dead. I'm heading to another one." said Lars. 

"Understood."

Lars set the World Jumper to Universe 27. He jumped and was all of the sudden in a place that resembled Victorian-Era England. He was on top of a building and saw air-ships flying through the air. The rain was heavy, and Lars saw that much of the water was being collected, old-fashioned machines with their gears showing, all of them bronze. The streets were very well lit, and Lars saw that the people were even dressed all Victorian-Era. Endless pillars could be seen, all of them with steam coming out. He looked up to see a clock-tower, it hit five-o'clock and rang five times. 

"Commander 0C to headquarters. Do you see all of this?" he asked, through the rain. It rang on his arm, like the sound that water makes when hitting metal with force.

"Yeah, we see it." replied 9S, "I don't believe it, there's an  _actual_ steam-punk world?"

"Apparently so." Lars looked around, dark sky, even if it's not that late, a lot of rain, Victorian-Era motif, and steam pillars in a lot of buildings. Definitely a world straight out of steam-punk fantasy. "I wonder what number Universe 28 is like." said he. So he set the World-Jumper to number twenty-eight and jumped. When he opened his eyes, he was on top of a building again and looked around.

It was nighttime in an unidentified city. But there were so many colors, the city was so brightly lit, that it looked like you couldn't even tell what time of day it was without a watch on the bottom. Enormous television screens on practically every sky-scraper and tower was advertising something and Lars saw many neon colored signs. But the real kicker was that the screens were entirely holographic, they moved around in circles the signs were all in Korean, so Lars assumed he was somewhere in Korea. The people had some kind of light lines coming from their clothes, or at least some of them. Other's had mechanical arms, and many of them had rather bizarre hair-styles. 

"Are you guys seeing this?" asked Lars, he bought up his map and saw that he was in Seoul, Korea. 

"Yeah, Universe 27 was steam-punk, so number twenty-eight is cyber-punk?" asked 9S.

"It's actually kinda cool." added A2. 

"Hey, what're you doing on our building?" asked a voice in Korean. Lars looked behind him and saw some youngsters, couldn't be older than fifteen, "You want a fucking beating!? HUH!?"

"What should I do?" asked Lars.

"Jump out of there." said 91O.

"I'm trying..." said Lars. "I can't. It has to recharge." 

"Then, take care of them. Don't kill them."

"Don't ignore us!" the boy shouted, the ones behind him were a mix of males and females. The girls taunted him, and the boys carried weapons. The main boy had some kind of energy bladed weapon.

"I didn't mean to ignore you, sorry." responded Lars in Korean.

"So, you think you're tough don't you?"

"Actually, as an adult I have to ask, where are your parents? Go home."

*King of Fighters Another Day OST-FIGHT*

"What was that!?" the kid swung at Lars. It cut the ground cleanly, Lars knew he needed a weapon of his own. As the kid swung at Lars, he knew he had nothing to parry with, so he just raised his force-field, and the blade bounced off. Lars took the opportunity to kick the kid back. As the others got up, Lars exhaled and the lightning surrounded his body. It crackled and buzzed, the gang members flinched a bit but held their ground. 

"Nice trick!" one of them taunted, the girls laughed and the boys smiled. Lars saw that there were about nine of them, but he didn't want to hurt any of them. One of them charged forward with a energy knife and Lars grabbed his wrist and struck his nerves, the boy let go of his knife and Lars threw him aside. Another one tried to stab him but Lars dodged the knife and punched him in the stomach, lighter than usual, but enough to knock him out. They started attacking all at once, and Lars knew his magic would harm them, so he raised his force-field. "Coward!" they shouted. 

"A2, think you can lend me a hand?" asked Lars.

"I'll be right there." she responded. Lars opened a portal inside of the field and she walked out. "So, these brats giving you a hard time?"

"Yeah, I don't want to hurt them. So I'm holding back, maybe a bit too much." 

"Alright then, let me help." 

"Think she can help you?" asked one of the boys.

"Just watch me." responded A2 in Korean. Lars took down his field and A2 went berserk, the force knocked all of them down. A2 stomped her leg and the whole roof-top shook. Finally, the gang members got scared. 

"DAMN IT!" screamed the leader, he took out a gun and fired. Lars caught the bullet and threw it aside. The kid was completely un-nerved, so Lars used his speed and was suddenly right behind him. He held him in a head-lock, his right hand, wrapped around the kid's neck, grabbing on to his bicep and his left arm was on the back of the kid's head. "P-please don't kill me..."

The rest of the children were now horrified that this man might just snap his neck.

*Fade*

"Go home." said Lars. They all nodded and quickly vacated the roof.

A loud sound made itself apparent, Lars looked at the Jumper, "Alright, it's charged." said he. "You wanna come with me?" 

"I don't mind. Let's go.

The two spent the course of the next few hours jumping from world to world. They saw a great number of things. A new age of dinosaurs, a new ice age, a world many giant robots, and even a world where humans had died out long ago. Instead, the world was ruled by flying donuts (Don't ask). However, whilst nothing really happened in those  universes, something happened in one of them. 

A2 decided to pick one, and she picked Universe Ten. Lars squeezed his hand and jumped, when they opened up their eyes, they were in some kind of Japanese dining room. It was a grand hall, it was huge, that meant that this probably was one of those medieval Japanese castles, since it was lit, somebody probably lived here, and that meant he must be in the medieval era of Japan. "Um... Lars?" asked A2.

Lars looked behind him, and saw a group of people. A man, wearing a tank-top with tons of what appeared to be Yakuza tattoos and a group of people, all of them seemed to be from different countries. The man was quick to grab his sword and try to attack. Lars was also quick to select a random location, grab A2 and jumped. When they entered the world, they were in a free fall. Lars opened up a portal for them to reach the ground safely. Once they did, it was some kind of war-zone, complete with gun-fire. They both  ducked down to make sure they wouldn't get hit, and looked around carefully, Lars looked at the Jumper, it was out of power and needed to recharge.

Lars saw someone in armor, and looked very similar to himself. He held a rifle and was running toward them. The unidentified man rolled into some of the debris they were hiding in. "Get outta here. Tekken forces are-" he stopped when he looked at Lars.

"Lars... you  _do_ exist in another world." said Zero Lars.

"Wh-who are you?" asked the other Lars. 

"I'm you." responded Zero Lars. 

"This is going to get confusing." said A2, "Alright, where's Alisa, isn't she usually with you?"

"How do you know-" the other Lars was cut off by a pink hair girl with wings on her back. 

"Lars?" she asked, looking at Zero Lars. "Wait." she looked at Tekken Lars. "What is going on!?"

"That's what I want to know." stated Tekken Lars, "How do you know so much, and just who the hell are you?" 

"I'm you. Just from another world. This is A2, she's an android, just like Alisa. As of right now, you're fighting against the Mishima Zaibatsu's Tekken force, am I wrong?"

"So, you're me. With an android companion." said Tekken Lars. "But that's impossible, what you're saying doesn't make any sense." they were cut off by enemy soldiers. As they fired, Tekken Lars lost his gun and Zero Lars quickly kicked the enemy soldier.

"No time to explain, I'll help you out." Zero Lars said, getting into his fighting stance. Tekken Lars saw no other option and got into his stance, identical to Zero Lars'. Both of them had purple lightning surging through their body as a sign that they were getting ready to fight. They both evaded bullets and dodged punches an kicks from the Tekken Force soldiers. Zero Lars slammed his palm into one of their faces against a wall, flattening his head. The next one, he kicked into the air and slammed him back onto the ground, killing him.

Tekken Lars zipped around the field. He was quick to kick a soldier straight in the face. He hit him aside and hit another soldier with both his arms and then slammed him with an arc-blast. He turned to see a gun pointed his head, A2 jumped in and broke the man's back with a single kick and threw him aside. "A2, was it? Why'd you help me?"

"You look like my Lars. No other reason." responded A2. "Look out behind you!" she suddenly shouted. A man with a knife was about to plunge it into Tekken Lars, but Alisa came up and stopped the man's arm. She kicked him aside, knocking him out instantly. 

"That's all of them." said Alisa. Tekken Lars turned to Zero Lars. And Zero Lars looked at the World-Jumper.

"Looks like it's charged." said Lars, "If we ever meet again, I hope it'll be under better circumstances. Remember, you're in universe 94. See ya." said he as he jumped.

"Wait-" But Zero Lars was already gone. "Damn, I wanted to ask him a few questions. Oh well, come on Alisa, I just got word that Omega Team needs help in sector nine."

"Understood, I'll go on ahead." said the female android.

*Transition*

Lars appeared back in the YoRHa lab. A2 was with him, and the android staff present took of their headsets, stretched, and exhaled deeply. "That was a complete success." said 2B, "No doubt about it."

"Did you catch all of the footage?" asked Lars.

"Sure did, it's all in our records." responded 9S.

"Testing of the World-Jumper is a success. Commander, you are finished, at least with this." said 6O.

"That's right, Führer Glynwynn requires YoRHa's presence for an insurrection. It seems a radical human group, 'The Apex Predators', a group of about two-thousand people, many armed with illegal magician stones, wish to overthrow the elf and put in their own Führer. Go immediately and take only one-hundred more YoRHa soldiers and the Will-O'the-Wisp. Show the world just how strong YoRHa really is." said White, "Good luck."

"Alright then. Let's move." Lars opened a portal to grab his gear. The other's materialized their weapons. Lars gathered more YoRHa soldiers and they were all gathered outside of the headquarters. They all boarded the Will-O'the-Wisp. The bridge crew got all preparations done in no time. "We're ready to head off, sir." said 6O.

"Will-O'the-Wisp crew, we're going to Europe. Let's show these punks who the  _real_ apex predators are."

And off they went.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the end folks.


	13. For Whom Does That Bell Ring For?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone has to die once day, but it is always painful. People who have lived long, fulfilling lives have no regret, for him, there is none. Even if he were leaving so early.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Dude is gonna appear again... just btw.

_"How many years had it been?"_ he thought.  _"Oh, I know. Only thirty. Thirty years ago, I was fighting a war, and did so many things no one could ever imagine."_ he thought. 

"Lars?" asked a woman as she came home. "Did you take your medicine?" asked she.

"Yeah, not like it'll really help." responded Lars, A2 had come home for this afternoon. She had already retired from the military, as did he. So much happened in the last twenty-years. Man had reached Mars and colonized it, the next place to go was Titan. YoRHa's strength was officially shown to the world, that they weren't all show. The Apex Predators were crushed, quickly, and efficiently. Now everyone knew YoRHa was not messing around, for the world has never seen a group of one-hundred soldiers fight two-thousand and win. The Apex Predators' reign was over before it even started. In 2028, Yonah would give birth to her daughter at the age of twenty-six.

Her daughter was named "Claire", she inherited many of Yonah's traits. Silvery-white hair, and those eyes. Those grey eyes, it seemed they were the most dominant trait of all. In fact, if it wasn't stated, you could hardly tell that Claire was even the daughter of Yonah's husband. The following year, Emil came out as gay. At first, he was scared, but he had no reason to be, as everyone accepted him, regardless of his sexuality. The same year, Kainé, at the age of thirty-three, bought a baby boy into this world, a half-blood of elf and human. His name would be "Rayavor". 

*Flashback*

Claire and Rayavor played with each other, two years after Claire was born. Everyone was delighted, Nier looked at his grandchildren, as he was now, fifty-seven, he could move around as he could when he was in his forties, but it was a bit more difficult. Zero, whom had stayed the same, due to her immortality, was gently playing with the two children. Though Rayavor wasn't even a year old, he showed high intelligence, and for a two-year-old, Claire was also very intelligent. Rayavor had magic, Wood, Ranged-Black Hole, and Speed. But Claire was a natural yet again. 

"I guess it really is hereditary after all? asked Yonah to her husband, a man named Kerubiel.

"I don't mind." he responded, "She is still our child and I love her." 

"That's good to hear."

As that conversation was happening, Kainé was speaking to her own husband, Rydel. "Y'know, it kind of sucks that I'm thirty five."

"What makes you say that, dear?" 

"I'm a hermaphrodite, honey. I'm not going to live much longer."

"Oh yeah, that..." said Rydel grimly. But that grim expression didn't last long, as Rydel looked up, a smile on his face, "But I'm not going to let that stop me, I'm a scientist remember? I swear, I'll find you a cure! You won't be dying on my watch." he smiled.

Kainé stayed silent, just for a bit, "Thanks, Rydel..."

The same year, 9S and 2B decided to try something. They had never really thought about, but they wanted to do so. They decided to get married as well. The ceremony was grand, it was a military style, wedding. Though they were androids, they were still allowed to do so. Lars made sure of that. Many YoRHa soldiers gathered that day, and so did everyone else. The humans that 2B and 9S knew, all of them were there. This in turn, inspired Lars and A2 to also get married. And so, Lars was now a husband, happily married at the age of twenty-seven. 

Things went great for the next five years, until tragedy struck. Rayavor was too young to understand fully, but he understood slightly, just enough to feel the appropriate emotion. He felt sorrow, when Yonah was thirty-three, and Emil thirty-one, the person they looked up to as a big sister, had died. Those two lost a sister, and Rydel lost his wife on that day. Kainé was right, back on that camping trip, she was correct, she would die around forty or so. And here she was dying  _at_ the age of forty, Lars, A2, 2B, 9S, and everyone else around them, had lost a friend. 

Yet, no one lost control. They cried, but didn't lose control of their emotions and started screaming, as that would break the promise they made to Kainé.  _"So when I do die, try not to bitch and whine too much? It'd piss me the fuck off. Please?"_ A2 remembered those words, and she repeated them to herself. It was especially hard on Rydel, "Kainé, I'm so sorry..." he said through tears while he knelt next to her coffin. "I couldn't save you..."  

Yonah stepped up for a speech. "Kainé was not related to me by blood in anyway. Yet, I didn't care. When I was three, she came into my life, carrying a baby with her. I saw her as my older sister from that day forward, in the war, not didn't just protect us, she made sure no harm came to us ever. Emil was a baby when Kainé picked him up, she was struggling so hard to survive, and yet, she took him in. She made sure he got enough food for an infant, sometimes skipping a meal or two just to keep him fed. Sure, she said if he ever annoyed her too much, she would leave him, but that never happened. My sister was rough around the edges, but she had heart, she swore on a daily basis and was often easily agitated, but the amount of compassion and love she showed was unparalleled." Yonah stopped to wipe her tears a bit,"...And I've grown used to having those words in my life. But now that I'm never going to hear her say them again, fills me with an immeasurable feeling of grief."

"Kainé never believed in God, but that's okay. It is my personal belief that she will go to heaven, just based on the person she was, a sailor mouthed woman, but one with a heart so big, it would make your head spin. We may have lost a sister, friend, and overall, a good person... But God has received an angel... As we speak now, Kainé has been reunited with her grandmother and parents. And I'm absolutely sure she would say, 'Don't worry about me, just live out your lives as best you could, and to the fullest' Thank you." she wiped her tears as people clapped and looked into the blue sky, a church bell rang over and over, filling the cemetery with a sound of death. "You never liked the rain..." she said to herself, "How perfect..."

Years passed on without Kainé, Lars went through his thirties with no hesitation. The loss of Kainé affected him, but he wasn't going to allow Kainé to call him pitiful when he saw her again for groveling over her death. Yonah and Nier would not approve as well. Rydel managed to make it though, and so did Rayavor. Lars and the others made sure they would make it through.

But when Lars reached forty, he coughed out blood. Lars had fallen ill, and it wasn't the kind of illness people could get better from either. He was quick to realize that it was from the war. All the injuries he sustained, all the times he had used his mask to push his body to it's limit. And along came the Super-Nova lockets, a power given to Lars by God Himself. A power that was unparalleled to, only being able to be matched by God's own power. But, it was a power that was dangerous, for Lars, in the end. was still only just a human.

But he didn't leave YoRHa just yet. He actually left when he was about forty-one years old, when his condition had taken a turn for the worst. Now, using his magical powers were a bit of a struggle for him. It strained his body to no end, and made him cough out more blood. That's when he decided to retire from YoRHa, but that would leave the sport for Commander empty. So, it was Lars' personal decision to make 2B Commander, she had already proved herself as a Field-Commander, just as Lars did before hand. And it was 2B's personal decision to make the Field Commander 9S, based solely on his tactical background and leadership skills. 

*Current Time*

Lars decided to take a stroll with A2, he wasn't so broken down that he could not even walk with his back straight. But his age had been apparent, though he still looked youthful, he had a wrinkle or two, and the sides of his hair was graying. On his walk with his wife, they encountered Yonah, Claire, and Kerubiel. "Oh, it's good to see you three. How are you all?" asked Lars.

"We're doing fine Lars." responded Yonah, "The real question is how are  _you_ doing?" asked Yonah.  

"I'm alright. The condition isn't that bad, you know?" responded Lars, "I mean, it hurts sometimes, but other than that, I'll be fine." They talked for a bit until Lars and A2 took off to somewhere else. In fact, they went to Eden cafe, it wasn't that busy, but there were still people in there. 

"Ah, Lars. What a pleasant surprise." stated Adam. He added, "Are you well?"

"Yes, I'm doing fine. Any word on when 2B and 9S will be returning from Mars? I really miss them." replied Lars.

"Actually, I heard they're coming back today." stated Popola, coming out from the back. Devola and Eve were with her, after putting some things down, they walked over to the table that Lars and A2 were sat down at. 

"The usual?" asked Devola.

"Yeah, the usual." responded Lars. 

"Coming right up." 

Devola left and Lars waited with A2. As they waited Lars started thinking about the past again.

*Flashback*

Lars was heading to White's office. This was about fourteen years ago, when Lars was thirty years old. He had a very personal request that day. In fact, it was downright of the upmost importance for him. "Commander?" asked a YoRHa android in the front. 

"Is mom in her office?" asked Lars.

"Yes, she is. Shall I tell her that you will be going to her office?"

"Yes, please."

"Very well." as Lars walked to White's office itself, the YoRHa android contacted White to tell her that Lars was visiting. As Lars went up to the elevator, he felt butterflies in his stomach. When he entered the room, White was staring out her window, into the city and the setting sun. 

"I always do this to calm myself. The sunset is quite beautiful, especially when it's setting on a city. Judging the fact that I used to spend all my time in space, and never seeing a full living city before what happened sixteen years ago, I think that this fits me. Anyway enough about me, what have you come for, my son?" she asked.

"It's really personal. So..." Lars took a deep breath, "Here goes... Today I went to the doctor for a checkup. You guys never really took a look at my body, at least not completely. That or you knew, and just didn't think it wasn't important. I already have a condition where I can't grow hair anywhere on my body other than my head. But, I never knew I was _sterile_."

"I was... wondering when you'd bring that up. I knew, yet I didn't bring it up, I felt like there was no need. You would never love any other woman like you would A2. And she cannot reproduce. I am sorry I hid it from you." said White, shame apparent in her voice.

"No, no. I'm not mad." replied Lars, "I know A2 can't have a kid. And it's not like I can send my sperm to someone to carry the kid for me, due to the thing I just bought up. So I'm asking you to basically make a Jinzo, or a clone of me. One that'll have a fine life-span for human standards. One that doesn't have any of the conditions I have, just a normal, healthy human. I know you have plenty of my D.N.A to base it off of. So even if you aren't going to jump at this idea, I'm just asking you to considerate it... I've... always wanted a kid of my own..." Lars bowed.

"Do you have any idea how long that would take?" she asked, "Not to mention, we can only  _base_ it off the Jinzo formula. We never were too involved in digging deeper into the way they were made, so it may take a while. No one ever said that making an artificial human would be easy."

"Then, does that mean...?"

"Yes, I will have it done. However, do not expect for it to be done quickly, this is something that may take years. One slip up and we may have to start over from scratch, an exact clone would have all of your traits, defects included. So we must take this slow if we want to basically play with your genes. After all, being a grandmother doesn't sound too bad for me."

"Thank you so much, mom. And don't worry about the wait, I'll wait as long as it takes. Even if I'm an old man, granted, it'd be kinda weird, but I'm willing to look past that. And one last thing, do you think you could keep a secret from A2? I want to surprise her."

*Present*

But that was fourteen years ago. Lars' mother wasn't kidding when she said it could take years. But, he was still willing to wait, no matter how long it took. Either way, he already had a name for the child that would be sure to be born. It was probably going to be Lage, due to the fact that the main science facility was somewhere in the ocean, it was actually in the Bunker, which had been converted into a fortress on the water. 

Their food was served and Lars and A2 began to eat. They took their time, having small talk about 2B and 9S. After they were done, Lars and A2 thought that they would walk around a bit more. So, they walked around San Gabriel a bit more. He went to visit Zero, who hadn't aged a day. "How're you doing?" asked she.

"That's like the third time I've heard that today." responded Lars, laughing a bit. "But I'm fine, thanks." Zero was about forty-nine, almost fifty, and yet, she looked the same as the day as she did when the flower fully bloomed. Yes, that was the source of her immortality. Some would envy her, due to the fact that her beauty and her youth were infinite, but others would pity her. As she would have to say goodbye to everyone around her as she lived on forever. But she was aware of that, in fact she was fine with it, for she had long since accepted that fact that it was the downside of being immortal. 

"So, how's Mikhail?"

"Oh, you know him. Still being the kid he was when I first met him."

"How're  _you_ , sis?" 

"I'm fine, you know me. I can't get sick, or get old." she responded, "No offense. But you've definitely gotten older." she said to Lars, "But, you A2. You've stayed the same since I've met you. Well, it makes sense, since you're an android."

"I'm don't look  _that_ old!" said Lars back. "A wrinkle or two, maybe. And a bit of graying hair, but that's it." 

The three laughed and they talked a bit, until it was time to leave. Lars and A2 said goodbye to Zero and went on their way to walk around San Gabriel. Lars checked his watch, it was five in the afternoon, but something was wrong. Lars' vision was starting to get fuzzy, and he couldn't focus his eyes.  

*Cough! Cough*

Lars out his hand to his mouth and coughed a bit more. When he looked at his hand, there was blood on it. "A2..."

As she turned around, he coughed up some more, "LARS!" screamed A2, as Lars fell to the floor. He felt kind of funny, his chest was pounding, like his heart was suddenly beating so fast, that it hurt. His body began to go crazy, and it was in agony. A2 was overlooking the scene in panic, she called for help. With what little vision he had left, he saw that people were frantically calling an ambulance.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, you're only human, and you used a power that I directly created..." said a voice as Lars finally passed out.

*Transition*

"Looks like we're finally gonna go home today, 2B!" said a happy 9S. "It's been ages since I saw Lars and A2 in person, I wonder what they're doing?"

"All I know is that they're going to love this new thing. 'The Mars Pastry', made only on Mars. They'll definitely love it." responded a smiling 2B, "Looks like these colonists won't be needing our help anymore, let's get to the Will-O'the-Wisp."

"Right." as 2B and 9S began to walk to the Will-O'the-Wisp, Pod-042 began to beep.

"Alert: Incoming  call coming from the mobile device of A2." he said.

"Put it through." responded 2B.

"2B... 9S..." said A2 on the other side, clearly, she was distressed.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked 9S, "Did something happen?"

"Yeah... It's Lars, he coughed up a ton of blood and collapsed, come quick! Tell 6O to activate the slip-space..." she sobbed, "The doctor... the doctor said..." 2B and 9S were hoping A2 would say that Lars would be alright, they nearly begged for it, "...she said... he won't last through the night..."

"We're on our way!" shouted 2B. Now she and 9S ran towards the Will-O'the-Wisp.

*On the Bridge*

6O, 21O, 91O, and 18O were having some coffee and a nice conversation, that is until 2B and 9S ran right into the bridge, "Is the entire crew on board?!" asked 2B frantically.

"Y-yeah? What's wrong? You guys seemed distressed?" asked 18O.

"It's Lars... He's... he's..." 2B began to break down into tears.

"...He's what...?" asked 91O, her eyes now filled to the brim with fear, along with everyone else.

"Lars... is dying..." said 9S finally. "Start the ship... We  _need_ to get back to Earth..."

6O froze, her eyes not only filled with heartbreak, Lars had helped her so much in the past, and was also a great guy to be around. Now, he was dying."All crew, this is the bridge! We're taking of now... Fasten all things, and let's move!"

*Transition*

The-Will-O'the-Wisp came right out of slip-space. "Command, this is Armored Assault Class Ship: Will-O'the-Wisp. Request permission to land in hangar number one." said 21O.

"Permission granted." responded the operator on the other side. The Will-O'the-Wisp landed in the hangar. 

"Let's go." said 2B. 9S nodded in response. They began to run off, but a voice called out.

"We're coming, too!" it was 6O. She and the entire bridge crew looked like they were coming along. "We'll grab a shuttle and fly exactly to his location. The helipad should be available. Let's go!"

The six of them quickly rushed to the hangar and found a shuttle that was in good condition. As quick as they could, the group took it and flew at the top speed to the hospital where Lars was located. They rode down the elevator and went to the lobby, "Where is Lars Alexandersson?" asked 9S.

"He is on this floor. Room 309." said the person on the counter. When they got to his room, people were already inside. It was a terrible sight. Lars, a once great man, a soldier, and such a strong individual, lay there on a hospital bed, machines hooked up to his body, and he wasn't moving. A2 sat beside him, White was there, Yonah and her family, Rayavor and Rydel, Nier, Weiss, Emil, Zero, Adam, Eve, Devola, Popola, were there.

"2B, 9S, 6O, 21O, 91O, 18O." said White. "I'm glad you all could make it." she said, "The doctors said he doesn't have much time, but they aren't sure what time as of right now."

"Look! He's opening his eyes." said Popola.

Lars' eyes were slowly opening. "Guys?" he asked when he caught sight of all of those close to him. 

"Lars! How are you feeling?" asked A2 immediately. 

"I feel fine for now. So this is it, isn't it?" responded Lars. "Oh, hey 2B, Nines." he saw the bridge crew of the Will-O'the-Wisp. "You four even came for me... Thanks... At least I won't be dying with no one around..."

"No, don't say that..." said 2B. "We're here. Let's not think about that."

"I... I suppose you're right about that one." said Lars. He was about to speak, but 19H came in, along with her medical team. 

"Ma'am, the tests have concluded." she said grimly.

"...Give it to us..." responded White.

"He will die around midnight..."

Everyone's heart sank a bit. "Midnight...?" asked 9S, "But, we just got back. And you're going to die in what? Five hours?! Dammit, it's not fair!" 

"No. No. No... It's fine... I'm just glad everyone is here." said Lars, "So, let's just try and enjoy what little time we have left..." 9S calmed down just a bit, and he looked at Lars.

"A-alright..." he replied.

"That's good." 

The afternoon was spent talking about a great deal of things, namely, the past and the memories everyone shared together. 2B even gave Lars and everyone else The Mars Pastry, she had packed many, just in case. "It's... delicious." said Lars. 

"I thought you would like it, it's only made on Mars." said 2B.

"Then I see that I should've gone to Mars at least one point in my life. Tell me, what's it like?" asked Lars.

"Well, we had to do a bit of terra-forming first. Right now, the main part of the colony where the humans live is a lush, green environment, with fresh water. We drew out the water out of the ground via a machine that uses solar energy to find water molecules in the ground and suck 'em up. Then, it just uses those molecules as a basis to actually create the water." explained 9S.

"That's pretty smart." said Popola.

"And that's how you have fresh water?" asked Devola.

"Well, we also have moisture farms set up. Gotta distribute the water evenly, or else bad things happen." 

"Well, look at you two. You're doing so well on Mars. But, how do you two like Mars?" asked Lars.

"Well, Mars is pretty awesome." said 91O, "I mean, we're exploring a new frontier, going to new heights that humanity has never gone before. Even YoRHa ever only got as far as the Moon back in the old world." 

"Yeah, this really is a big thing. Then we'll go to Titan, and maybe even go beyond through the Earth System. After all, the possibilities are endless." said 18O.

"I agree." responded White.

"Humanity..." stated Nier, "For so long, we've drowned in each others' blood. Only looking into the stars to try and run away from out problems."

"But, thanks to you lot, humans first cleaned up their own mess, and then set out to the stars. They've even repopulated first." added Weiss.

"Yeah, when you all first got here, there were only four-billion humans left on Earth. Now, thirty years later, there's about eleven billion humans alive. Six here on Earth, two billion on the Moon, and the last three billion on Mars." stated Zero.

"That's great, Humanity will keep on growing. After all, our potential is limitless." said Lars.

They all talked a bit more, but as time went on, that happiness began to fade. It was now about ten-o'clock at night. There were about two hours left...

"I'd like to do something... Speak to groups of you at a time." said Lars, everyone nodded. "Here they are... Group one, Yonah, Nier, Weiss, Claire, Kerubiel, Rydel, Rayavor, and Emil. Group two, 6O, 21O, 91O, and 18O. Group three, Zero and Mom. And finally, group four, 2B, 9S, Adam, Eve, Popola, Devola, and A2."

"Alright then. We'll come in one at a time in that order." said White. She signaled everyone else to leave. Only group one was there now. 

*Kimimaro/Choji Theme (Extended)* 

"I'm going to go ahead and say it. I wish Kainé were here." said Lars.

"We all do, Lars." said Yonah.

"Yeah, I know. Time to get started. Ever since you and my dad were kids, you two have been friends." said Lars.

"Not a day goes by where I don't miss Lucas, even as a seventy-four year old, he's still my best friend." responded Nier.

"And ever since I first met Yonah, we've been friends. Heh, forty-one years. We met when I was first three, remember?"

"Of course I do." replied Yonah.

"I watched you two grow up, Claire, Rayavor."

"We know, Uncle Lars. And we're really going to miss you." said Claire.

"You've been such a guide in my whole life..." added Rayavor, "It's going to be hard to see you go."

"Don't be sad, I've lived a fulfilling life, I just wish it lasted a bit longer. But, I'm going with no regrets. But I get off topic, what I want to say... ever since I was a kid, I got bullied, they didn't care what was wrong with me. The only thing that made them do it was because I had a defect, so I was always the odd one out, I remember crying my eyes out as a kid, but I had you guys there for me. Yonah, Emil, you two were always there for me, no matter what was wrong with me, I'll always remember your words, 'I'll be your friend 'till the day you die, even then, we'll always be friends' you said." Lars chuckled, "Thank you, for everything..."

"Don't sweat it, we're not just friends, you were always like a brother to us as well." said Emil.

"Heh, heh, I know. I'd... like to talk to the next group now."

"Alright, see you in a bit." Yonah and her family vacated the room. The bridge crew came in, they all removed their veils.

"How're you holding up, sir?" asked 21O.

"It's a good time to stop with the formalities right now, 21O." said Lars.

"Oh, sorry."

"No need to apologize."

"Where to start?" asked 6O. 

"I know, do you two remember when you first met me thirty-years ago?"

"How could I forget?" responded 21O.

"Yeah, I remember, I was so excited to meet a human." added 6O.

"First I saw you guys as just androids around me, ones that I had to work with. But when I saw how much flare you had, 6O, I guess I got ignited as well. I mean, how much emotion you showed, and the sheer amount of questions of families you asked me, 21O. I saw how happy you were when I named you the Captain of the Will-O'the-Wisp when I wasn't around." 6O smiled, "All the things you'd be able to see." Lars smiled widely, "Now I speak to all of the crew and Android Corps. Write this down." 18O grabbed some paper and a pen, "I think it's safe to say, that all of you are human in a way. No matter what anyone says, you all have a heart, emotions, and every quality that makes you a human."

"Thank you, Lars. That was beautiful." said 91O. 

"Thank you all for listening." said Lars. The four of them knew what this meant and left the room. Lars looked at the clock, ten forty-five. Zero and White entered the room.

"Oh, Lars... I'm going to go ahead and say it... It's times like this I hate my immortality." said Zero.

"I understand, Sis." responded Lars, "I have to go, but you're staying the same, you and Mom. But, don't be sad, my life was filled with joy and happiness. I lived my life to the fullest, and now it's coming to end, but that's okay. That's 'cause I'm going down with no regrets. I'll finally be with Mom and Dad again." he said to Zero. hen he turned to White, "Don't get me wrong, you  _are_  my mother, not just my adoptive one. I mean, even if you weren't around that much, you loved me like my biological mother did, and even guided me through life, like she did when I was a kid. So in my book, you aren't just someone who decided to give herself that title and take care of me. I'm sure you know this, but even as an android, you felt genuine love for me, and wished the best for me. In that case, you really  _are_ my mother.

"My child... thank you..." responded White, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "You will be my son... now and forever... even when you reunite with your actual parents, I will be there, always knowing that you will have found joy. And one day, when I join you, I will be at my happiest once again, to see you again, and to meet you real parents."

"Zero... it's the same with you. You  _are_ my sister. It doesn't matter if Mom and Dad weren't your real parents. Since we were kids, you were with me, all the way. Mom and Dad always wanted the best for us, you loved me like I was your own little brother, because I was. You didn't treat me with disdain, you didn't ever hate me. All you did, was be my older sister. And for that, you have my ever lasting gratitude."

"Don't worry about it. Just like Mom here, I'll one day join you. Then, I'll see Rachel and Lucas again, along with you. 'Cause even I'll die one day. Maybe when the planet explodes or something. But, just wait, little brother, we'll see each other again one day."

The both of them let out their smiles. The two left, leaving only Lars' closest friends to come in. Lars looked at the clock, it was now eleven. He only had one hour left.

"Allow me to start." said Lars.

"Yeah, sure. Go on ahead." 9S replied. 

"Adam, Eve, when I first met you two in person. I wanted to kill you, more than anyone else. When the two of you awakened within my mind, I was still furious. But over time, I began to trust you, I began _believing_ in you two, believing that you would not betray me, and it turns out that I was right to do so. I'm very thankful that you two brothers decided to bring me into that world. Otherwise, if you hadn't, the events we all went through would've gone very differently. And I would've never met any of you, my world would also end."

"Then, if that's the case, I am glad that you decided to trust us. If you hadn't and decided to kill us, then we could've never gotten to where  _we_ are now." responded Adam. 

Lars smiled to show that he had heard it and moved on. "Devola, Popola. Ever since I arrived in that world and met you two, I've always had good feelings. Good feelings that you two were good individuals. How right I was, you two always took care of me, sewing my clothes and making meals for me. I've always been grateful for what you two have done for me, and even as I pass on, that gratitude will never disappear. The two of you have a sad past, with everything your model went through. And you wanted to atone, even if it meant the both of you dying. I remember that I wouldn't have any of that, I told you 'You can atone by living! And staying by my side as I make my journey! That's how you both will atone! But, not by dying! I'm not losing anyone! Not anymore!'." Lars mimicked his old words.

"And now, it's my own belief that you two  _have_ atoned for everything. By choosing to live and stick with me as I made my journey through life, that is enough to atone for all off the past."

"That... means a lot to us." said Popola.

"Thank you, if it weren't for you, Lars... Our lives would've ended a long time ago, only saddening you, we would've accomplished nothing." added Devola. Lars nodded and turned to 2B and 9S.

"2B, 9S." he said, "Lemme start with 2B." he took a breath and drank some water. "Do you remember the time we first met? What happened in that first hour?"

"I... cut your arm off... Sorry..." replied 2B sheepishly.

"It's fine, I forgave you a long time ago. I sure as hell didn't like you at first, but just like everyone else, it took time. Over time, you became one my closest friends, and I even made a promise with you. Do you remember it?"

"The next time I would have to kill 9S, you would do it... to spare me the self-loathing and the pain. You decided you would take on that pain yourself, even if it meant the same self-loathing and sorrow I went through. As long as it wasn't on anyone else, but you."

"Correct. I never held a grudge that day, when you killed me I still tried to stop you from leaving. I do not hate you for that, and I never will." Lars turned his head to 9S, "You are my best friend and practically a brother to me. I remember our first fights, both physically and vocally. I mean, I placed my trust in A2, and back then, to you guys, she was a deranged, psychotic, maniac. No offense." he said to A2, she shook her head, taking no offense to it. "But, after our little squabble, we were friends just like that. And I'm so glad it happened that way."

"Throughout the war, we stuck together. I taught you a lot of human customs, and we all around just had a good time. We fought, not against each other, but alongside each other, as brothers-in-arms. That's why, I'm saying this now, you will always hold a special place in my heart and my soul." 9S was crying, he couldn't even hold it in, "And if I can die with a smile on my face, then you're damn well sure that you can keep living your life, without a speck of hesitation."

"Yeah... I'll... I'll do that... I'll keep on living, and I won't let anyone or anything stop me..." said 9S.

"That's the spirit, Nines." Lars looked at the clock, it was eleven-thirty. "A2... I saved you for last."

A2 didn't say a word, she just waited for Lars to speak, "I remember the day we first met like it was yesterday, from the moment I met you, I thought you were very pretty. The eyes you gave me, they were so hostile, you didn't know who I was, and even was going to fight me. But then, I said those words, I said that I was a human, and it completely blew you out of the water. Then, my arm was cut off, my memories of that moment is hazy, but I remember you panicking. It was your function to care. But it was so much more than that, after I came back, you confessed your love for me, and I reciprocated those feelings."

"After the war, I couldn't have been happier to live with you, eventually, I got older. We got married, and because of that, I'm at my happiest. But, if there's one thing we know about each other, it's that we can't have any kids. But that's okay, as long as I got to live my life with you, I was happy."

A2 wiped a few tears. As the others came back in, A2 spoke up, "Lars... That day where I confessed, there was no lie in what I told you. But that just means that I still love you, even after all these years, and I'll never stop. I'll keep loving you, even after you're gone. Now and forever."

Lars looked at the clock, he was now in his final fifteen minutes. Everyone was here, and they knew what was going to happen soon. Lars all of the sudden felt very tired, he knew it, the process was beginning. But this death was not painful at all, instead, he found peace with this, he was dying due to all the times he pushed his body to the limit. He may be dying younger than what many people considered the ripe age, but, many others died younger. Not to mention, he had already fulfilled every wish he ever had, and now he could rest.

But, he had one last thing he wanted to say. "Humanity... it really  _does_ like to fight, doesn't it?" he asked. Nobody said a word, "We've been fighting since the first human civilizations arose. It was all those wars that really distinguished humans from others. They always claimed to be fighting for something like peace, but it seemed more like blind pride to me. Ever since the androids came in, the wars practically stopped. Humanity was the closest it has ever been to world peace. But even with that, we still had skirmishes, people wanting their own goals, their own foolish ideals."

"But, humanity doesn't  _have_ to be like that. I believe that with the right leaders and people, humanity can flourish. Time grows short now... My hope now is that all of you continue to go on... I believe in all of you... I hope the world that Lage will live in... will be different from the one that I lived in... one without so much fighting... and one where he can live in peace all his life..." Everyone knew that the time had come, it was time for him to rest, they all wanted to cry and wanted him to stay. However, that could not be the case, "I love all of you... And please, look after Lage for me..."

*Fade*

Lars' eyes slowly closed. From his point of view, everything started to go black. He felt his heart beat stop, and his brain shutting down. This was it, he was dying and passing on.  _"So this... is how it feels..."_ he thought for the final time.

It was over in an instant. Lars had flat lined, he had died. Everyone stayed silent, and then began to cry, it was over. That was it, he had died for the final time, there was no coming back this time. For Lars had passed on the torch now, YoRHa was in good hands, his life ambitions have been filled out, and he was happy about the way he lived his life. So, it's just like he said, this isn't something that should be sad, he had done everything in his life he wanted to. Lars had been through so much, now, he could rest, and see his parents again.

"Rest now... just rest, Lars..." said A2 through her tears. The one she had loved the most in her life was now gone. And she would not see him again, not until the day where she would one day die. After all, nothing truly is forever, even androids will die one day, and pass on. Even they have expiration dates, just like Zero, A2 would one day pass on, just not for a while. But, A2 knew that she would go on living her life, no matter how long it took, she would live until that day comes where she can't anymore. Surely that day will come, "Just you wait... we'll see each other again, one day..." 

*Transition*

Lars' eyes opened up. He looked around, he was in that realm again, when he first died. The time where he had awakened after 2B had killed him. He looked around, and saw a reflection of himself, he was in his prime again and felt a strange feeling. He looked at his arm, it was his actual arm. Not the one that YoRHa had given him, it was the arm that was cut off all those years ago. "Surprised?" he heard someone ask behind him.

"The Dude." responded Lars.

"Hey, you remember that?" asked God, or rather, The Dude, "I'm flattered... And you're lookin' good. I mean, just saying your twenty-four year old body is, uh... well, just know you look great. "

"What am I doing here? You said something about my sins in the past. I assumed it was all the people I killed. Aren't I going to Hell for that?" asked Lars.

"No, no, no. Sure, you may have sinned, but you always made up for it." Lars looked confused, "Sure, you killed a bunch of people, but that was you doing what you had to. I already asked you to kill Sral, and you delivered. Listen, you may have killed, but..." he placed his hand on Lars' shoulder, "You also  _saved_ a lot more people you killed. Remember all the attack on your school? You and your friends defended. The 'Apex Predator' attack in Europe? YoRHa made short work of them. And not to mention all the other people you saved through out your life. So in my book, that makes you perfect for Heaven."

"W-wow. That's..."

"You don't need to say anything. But, if you want to know why you're here, I'm giving you a choice."

"What choice?"

"Do you want to watch your funeral?"

Lars thought about it. Finally, he came to his conclusion. He wanted to see how everyone is doing. "Yeah."

"Then watch. The Dude flicked his hand and what seemed like a screen opened up. Lars saw everyone there. It seemed that his funeral would be held at the same place where his parents were buried, only that he had his own row in his own part of the cemetery.

*Transition*

Church bells rang loudly, Lars had heard these bells before, they symbolized someone passing on. These bells, were dedicated to him.

White was at the front, 2B and 9S beside her, along with the other military commanders, Anemone included. Seven North American soldiers stood behind them, they were all from different corps, YoRHa, the Regular Androids, Human, Jinzo. Lars saw that they all carried old ceremonial rifles, the crowd was comprised of all his family and friends, even Mikhail and Kantress were there. Many of them were crying, White was obviously saddened, but she kept her face straight. 2B and 9S both wore black shoulder-capes, with the lion emblem on it. Then, he saw the bridge crew entering, they carried some kind of structure made of light. Lars' body was on top of it, dressed neatly, and he looked very much at peace. Then Lars saw it,  _all_ the soldiers wore the lion emblem. 

6O was on the verge of tears, but she kept on walking. When they finally reached it the tomb stone, Lars' body was lifted of the light structure and put into a coffin. It closed, and put itself into the ground. Apparently, this was a special grave, as doors closed right after the coffin sank into the ground. Everyone had a heavy heart, Lars could feel it himself. To see everyone he loved so sad, it made him almost cry.

But then, Lars saw that A2 was stepping up to the podium. "They all decided that she would carry out their words. This speech is for you kid, listen carefully." said The Dude, so Lars leaned in to listen.

"My husband was a remarkable man." said A2, starting off. "When I first met him thirty years ago, he was only a teenager, only fourteen. Who knew that this kid would grow up into such a hunk, right?" asked A2, a smile on her face. Everyone chuckled a bit, "When I first met him, I actually thought of him as a liability, agitated easily, emotional, only a human. But over time, he got stronger, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. His heart was what drew me towards him, his burning passion for his goals, and all the times we shared together. It was through him, that I had once again found hope. I found someone to truly cherish once again, to love, to be happy with. It was no easy journey, in those four months, Lars went through what _no one_ should ever have to go through. He had to fight to survive, he had to kill to survive, and he didn't like it, not one bit."

"Once he told me, that he wasn't sure if he could keep going. I understood, because he had made his first few kills, and he was only human. He had always told me that the killing was the easy part, and living with it was terribly difficult. What he had to do to come back to his home was maybe the hardest thing to do, he had to kill. And there was no other way around it. But he had us,  _we_ , his friends were what kept him going, or so he says. Fate had something terrible for all of us if he never came, so he wanted to save us, and save us he did. We are all gathered here today, to remember this man, one of incredible strength, courage, compassion, nobility, and kindness. I could never ask for a better person to be with and to help him though his life." she began to cry, "He was the one that gave me hope, he reignited the flame that once burned inside me, and for that I thank him."

"So, if you're listening Lars, I want you to know, I love you, now and forever. And it's my belief... that you were the best thing that ever happened to me, you were the best person that I could be blessed with to have around, and the greatest man I have ever known." she sobbed, "With this, let us know that he is once again reunited with his parents and would tell us to keep on living. He will always watch over us, and I know that even in death, he has found happiness. Now it's time for us to find our own. Thank you."

Everyone clapped as she stepped off the podium. Back over in the realm, Lars was crying. "A2... thank you. I love you... and I'm going to miss you..." he cried.

"That was beautiful, A2." said Zero as she comforted A2. 

"Present arms!" shouted White through her tears. The seven soldiers lifted their rifles and aimed into the sky. "Fire!" As the rifles fired, everyone had saluted. They all had their left hands over their chests. Everyone had tears streaming down their face now, but they remained where they stood. As the guns fired three times, Lars looked at his gravestone.

In Loving Memory

Lars Murasaki/Alexandersson

Loving Husband, Son, Brother, Soldier

March 03, 2003-November 19, 2047 

Lars looked at his gravestone. As the salute finished up, slowly people left after placing a flower on Lars' grave. A2, 2B, and 9S were the last ones there, after a few more words, they left lunar tears and left.

The screen shut off. That was it, that was the funeral. Lars looked at The Dude. "Thank you. For showing me that..." said he.

"No problem. I always ask if someone would like to see their funeral." responded The Dude, "Anyway, you ready for the next part?" Lars heard doors being opened and looked over. He saw a light, The Dude gestured over to him to walk over to it. As Lars did so, The Dude was all of the sudden gone, and when he looked back up front, he saw him once again. "Heaven's just up ahead, bud." Lars kept walking, and when he walked through the gate way, blinding light swallowed him whole. When Lars opened up his eyes, he saw a golden city.

It looked similar to Avalon, except way bigger. He saw that the entire city was made of gold, there were so many spectacles to see, golden sky scrapers, people walking around, all had halo's on their heads. The grass that was visible on the surrounding mountains was the greenest Lars had ever laid his eyes on. "Dude?" asked Lars, as he was gone.

_"Gonna have to go back to the tower in the middle man. I've got a lotta paper work to do, some guy just found the Holy Grail and now he just bought it to a priest."_ said a voice in Lars' head.  _"But, tell you what. After I'm done, let's get a drink together, don't worry, it's on me."_

Lars walked further into the golden city. "So this is Heaven?" he asked. He was now in the middle. Right underneath the tower that The Dude spoke of. Lars looked around, recreational areas ranged from pool tables, water parks, internet cafes, boba shops, gyms, and way more than Lars could count. There were also so many places to eat at, that it almost made his head spin. Homes were probably everywhere, and Lars teared up.

He was in Heaven now, the perfect place for all he knew. He just sat at a park bench near a fountain and looked around. It was so peaceful, the people were all civil and just talking together, Lars spotted no arguments at all. Lars wiped his tears, one day, he would see everyone else, but for now, he had to wait. 

"Lars?" asked a voice near him. He shot his head to the right because he recognized the voice. There stood his mother and father, and much of his other family. Kainé was even with them, along with her family. "Oh, Lars!" shouted his mother. Lars stood back up and ran to give her a hug. 

"I've missed you... so much..." she sobbed.

"Mom, dad..." 

"Son, you're here..." Lars' father he gave both Lars and his mother a hug, now all of them were here. Lars looked up to see Kainé.

"Kainé... it's good to see you again. You like you did when you were in your twenties."

"So do you." she retorted, "When we got here, we were all in our primes. The Dude said we could pick whatever age we wanted to be."

"Really?" asked Lars, he looked at his parents, "No wonder why you both look so young."

His parent chuckled, as they talked, more people came to join them. "Mrs. Alexandersson!" said a female. Lars looked over to see a group of three females YoRHa uniforms, or at least they closely resembled YoRHa, that meant they must've been androids, they even wore visors, except for one. "We finally caught up!" said one of them. 

"Oh, no need to worry. But, please, take off your visors." said Lucas.

"If you insist." said the one with an eye patch, she had her hair tied into a pony-tail, her hair as white as A2's. Another one wore a hood and she was also taking off her visor, the last had a black pony-tail and she was the one with a gruff voice. "Hey..." said the one with the pony tail, "You're Lars, aren't you?" she asked.

"Man, A2 is one lucky gal! I mean, look at him! He's definitely a hunk!" laughed the one with a black pony-tail and gruffer voice.

"Come on G16, let's not hit on her husband." responded the on with a hood. 

"Wait a minute... if you're G16..." said Lars, he looked at the hooded one, "Then you're S21, right?"

"That's me. Let me just say, your family is really nice. We met them when you and A2 got married!" she responded happily, she was definitely an early scanner model.

"And you must be A4." she did nothing but smile, and then she stuck out her hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you, you're a damn good soldier, you know that?" she said.

"The pleasure's all mine, and thanks." responded Lars, he stuck out his hand and shook A4's.

And so, Lars walked off, now reunited with his family, in Heaven. So ends the tale of Lars, but what about A2?

 

 

*One Month Later*

 

 

A2 sat alone on the couch. One month had passed, and she found things to be quite. 2B and 9S had many things to deal with, and the twin pairs were always busy at the cafe A2 looked at the calendar, it was December eleventh. A2 looked at the picture of her and Lars on their wedding day, they both had such big smiles, she remembered all the times that Lars kissed her. She was about to cry but then the doorbell rang. 

A2 put the photo down and walked over to the door. When she opened it, White stood there, she held something in her arms that was wrapped in blanket, it moved around a bit. "White? What brings you here today?"

"Well, I've something-" she cut herself off, "No... thing is the wrong choice. I've someone to  _give_ to you."

White took off the blanket to reveal a baby.

*Choji's Farewell*

The baby opened it's eyes. It stared at A2 with her own eyes. But, he also looked much like Lars, and at the same time, he bared resemblance to A2 as well. His skin was the same porcelain like A2's, and his hair was sandy blonde instead of brown. His facial structure was more like Lars' though. 

"Is that...?"

"A child. Years ago, Lars came to me and asked for a clone. One that would have a normal lifespan, and not have the defects that he had, since Lars could not have any offspring at all, this was his final option."

"Then that means..."

"Yes, this is basically his son. Both you and him, and my grandson." she pinched his cheek a bit. "He was only finished today in the Bunker, I rushed over to get him to you. The process took years, as we only had the Jinzo formula to base it off of. One slip up, and we would have to restart, he is the seven thousandth time we tried, and this time, we succeeded. Worry not, he is all human, a perfect clone, we just had to fix his genes."

"His eyes... they're like mine..."

"Yes, though Lars did not ask for it. I gave him a bit of your traits as well, to really make him your son." White handed the baby over to A2, who cradled him in her arms. It was like holding Lars again, though a baby. The baby began to laugh and played around with A2's hair a bit, "He likes you." White chuckled.

"So, this is... my son?" asked A2. She felt like she wanted to cry. Not out of sadness, but she was so happy. 

"Yes, and I'm sorry that it took so long. The reason you didn't know was because Lars wanted it to be a surprise."

"It's fine..." responded A2, "Thank you..." she sobbed. The baby still laughed. "Thank you... so much..." cried A2 as she still cradled the baby. She cried, and cried, and fell to her knees. The baby, he looked much like Lars and herself. His hair was a mix of theirs, he had her stormy-blue eyes, and his facial structure was like Lars'. He was their son, "This is what he meant... A world where this baby can live free of fighting... and of war..."

"So, do you have a name for him?" asked White, who knelt down to comfort A2.

"He was made in the Bunker wasn't he?" White nodded, "And I believe Lars already had a name for him."

"And what might that be?"

 

 

 

 

"Lage..." A2 looked at the baby, now dubbed Lage. "Lage will be your name..." and with a smile, she kissed the baby on the forehead, "Happy birthday, Lage..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter where you see Lars, just btw. The next chapter will have someone different.  
> Time is kinda screwed up. But whatever.  
> The Heaven here is only my depiction.  
> Jeez, this chapter is long, the next is the last!


	14. Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lars is gone. But what of his son? Worry not, here, we will watch him, just for a short while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end folks.  
> BTW. A2 still has seem lines, but other than that, her entire body is covered in skin again. Seem lines are only because of the fact she is a proto-type android.  
> All vehicles in the story are all eco-friendly.  
> And the child is highly intelligent, but is still a child.

"Ha ha! He doesn't have a  _real_ mom!" shouted a child, he had sharp ears, black skin, black scleras, white iris', and had white hair, he was a dark elf.

That isn't true...

"And he's a freak! He's a person that was changed and born in a lab!"

Stop it...

"I heard his daddy didn't want him, too!" shouted the elf again.

Be quite...

"I'll bet he wants to go back to the orphanage where he came from!" another child laughed laughed.

"Shut up..." he finally said.

"What did you say?" asked the elf, he proceeded to slapped the one being bullied down, "The kid with a fake mom said bad words! Teacher! Teacher!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!" screamed the child getting bullied.

He lunged forward and punched the child calling for the teacher. Without a second of hesitation, he punched the kid straight in the jaw. A loud crack could be heard as the fist of the child connected. As the bully fell to the ground, the fist of the child surged with white lightning. The other children began to run, but he didn't care, he wouldn't forgive the bully for insulting his mother. More lightning surged around his body and he advanced to the bully. The kid wailed and tried to scramble away whilst the child kept advancing.

"LAGE!!!" screamed an adult. Suddenly, Lage had a force-field around him. "Young man, I can't believe you just did that. Come with me, you are in so much trouble!" shouted the teacher. All the rage that Lage had was gone, now he was scared. He was very scared that his mother would yell at him.

He was dragged to the principals office. "So, why did you do it?" asked the principal.

"I... I..."

"Well?"

"He was saying mean things about mommy..." sniffed Lage, on the verge of tears.

"So why didn't you tell Mr. Figgins? He was right there and you didn't tell him. Instead, you broke Ruibsieh's jaw, I assume you know what that means. I let you in to first grade earlier because you were smarter than most other kids, and yet, here you are. So? Why didn't you tell Mr. Figgins? Don't you know that violence is never the answer?" 

"B-but... All Mr. Figgins would do is tell him to stop... and... and... Ruibsieh wouldn't stop... I already told Mr. Figgins so many times..."

"That  _doesn't_ give you the excuse to hit Ruibsieh like that, Lage. You broke his jaw, you could face possible expulsion for this." 

"N-no...  I don't want to be expelled!"

"What's going on?" asked a woman who just came in. "I came as quickly as possible when I got the call." She wore a black bomber jacket, a tank-top, ripped jeans and leather heel boots. The skin above her tank top showed that she had a few seem lines on her skin, showing she was definitely not human. She had short white hair and her eyes the same stormy-blue as Lage's, or rather, the other way around. 

"M-mommy..." sobbed Lage.

The woman was no other than A2, "Miss A2, please, have a seat."

"What happened?" asked A2.

"Your son, he broke another child's jaw, using his magical power."

A2 looked at Lage, who tried to avoid eye contact, "Lage... Look at your mother." she said in a scary tone. Lage prepared for the worst, his mother was never good when she was angry, he feared that she would hit him this time. But when he looked at her, she didn't look angry, she only looked confused, "Why did you hit him?"

"He... he..."

"It's alright, you can tell me. I promise I won't get mad."

"He said you aren't real..." cried Lage, finally breaking down, "He and his friends said mean things about you, and about Dad! He said you aren't my real mom, and another girl said that Dad didn't want me. You are my mommy! Even if you're a robot! You're still mommy!"

A2 only stared at her child, "You see Miss A2, your son can't control his anger and could face expulsion, he-"

"Shut up." said A2, cutting him off. He wanted to protest, but A2 just glared at him, he stopped talking. What caught her eye was the mark on Lage's face and his clothes. "Where did this come from?" she asked, touching the mark on his cheek. "And why are your clothes all dirty?" Lage was wearing a white jacket, and there was dust all over it.

"I...I got..." A2 stared contently at Lage, not even blinking, "Ruibsieh... hit me and I fell down..."

"Miss A2, please understand, Lage was hardly hurt, and he didn't tell an adult that he was being bullied." A2 stayed silent and looked at the principal, and then back to Lage.

"Is this true?"

"No! I told Mr. Figgins so many times. He only told Ruibsieh to stop!" sobbed Lage, "Ruibsieh never got in any trouble! Please, mommy..."

"So you're lying to me?" asked A2, she now glared at the principal with eyes that she once used in the war.

"Well, you must understand, it doesn't change the fact that Lage broke-"

"I get the gist of it..." said A2, suddenly anger in her voice. "You let my son get bullied, let other kids insult his father, who died years ago mind you, you don't have your teachers do anything about it. And when my son actually takes a stand, after being hit and knocked to the floor, you want to expel him?"

"M-Miss A2 I understand that you're mad but-

"No, you don't understand the slightest. You don't have a clue what it's like to have someone dear to you be dead and be insulted. So let me ask you one thing."

"G-go on ahead."

"Who are Ruibsieh's parents?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Beevnu. They provide a lot of the school's funding. If we don't expel Lage, then they'll cut us off!"

"I see. If I hear anything about Lage getting expelled, I'm coming back."

"Where are you going?" asked the principal.

"To visit the Beevnu family."

A2 took Lage's hand and walked out of the office. No, walked is the wrong word, she stormed out. When she got out of the school, she walked over to her car. It was a BMW i8, so naturally, many of the older kids gawked at it. As it lit up, she got in and Lage got inside to the passenger seat (Don't worry, it has many safety features). A2 began driving, "Mommy? Where are we going?" asked Lage. 

"We're going to be visiting Mr. and Mrs. Beevnu."

"I'm sorry, Mommy..."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry that you have to go through all this trouble for me..."

"Don't worry about it. Remember, don't let what those kids said get to you. You  _are_ my son, just as you said I'm your mommy. You even had some of my traits, you have my eyes, and a bit of my hair color. And you have that adorable little face, just like your dad." chuckled A2. In return, Lage giggled slightly. "How about this? I'll take you to Eden after we deal with this, okay?"

"You aren't mad that I hit him?"

"No, not at all. If he told his friends to insult Lars, then he got what was coming to him. Look, don't worry about it. I'm not angry, I promise."

"Okay, mommy."

"Look at that, we're here." said A2.

The both of them got out of the car and walked inside the hospital. They walked to where the Beevnu family was. A2 made it clear that she and Lage were there and they all turned around. "Ee's duh won hu broh ma mouf! Ee's duh won hu broh ma mouf!" shouted Ruibsieh.

"He's the one, sweety?" asked the dark elf woman. Ruibsieh nodded, she all of the sudden got in right up A2's face, her husband was a big man, and he stood near her. "Your child should apologize right now!" Many of the hospital staff and patients stopped what they were doing and looked over to see what the sudden noise was about.

"Why should he?" retorted A2.

"Why?  _Your_ child is the one who broke his jaw!  _My_ poor boy was only telling a few jokes,  _your_ child is the one that cannot seem to comprehend that!"

"Is that so? Then telling a joke is saying that I'm not his real mother? Telling a joke is saying that my child's father didn't want him? You need to control your child better, not let him do what he wants!"

" _My_ child!? How dare you! Your child is the one that belongs in a fucking zoo!" at these words, A2 twitched a little, "And you  _aren't_   his real mother! A filthy android like you can only adopt, no wonder why his worthless father didn't want the child, he can't even control his own carnal-" she was cut off when A2's fist connected with her chin, sending her flying into the ceiling and back to the ground, much of her teeth were gone. 

"Do not ever... insult. My! Husband!" shouted A2. 

"YOU BITCH!" screamed the father or Ruibsieh, he threw a mighty punch at A2, it would've knocked anyone off their feet. But not A2, she easily caught it and all of the sudden, Mr. Beevnu could not even budge his hand. "What the-?"

"My husband died four years ago... He was a war hero, and a kind man, he wouldn't abandon anyone... what have you done?" asked A2. She couldn't forgive this family anymore, not only did the insult her son, they also insulted her beloved husband. "You dark elves, always looking down on every other race, claiming you're the at the top when you've done nothing to contribute to society." she began squeezing Mr. Beevnu's hand, slowly crushing it. He began to scream, "The one who ran for Führer against Glynwynn was a war-hawk. This is why everyone hates dark elves." finally, with one push, she sent the man to his knees, the bones of his hands in shambles.

"What's going on over here?" asked a healer android.

"He assaulted me." said A2. Everyone began to shout that it was true, Mr. Beevnu tried to attack A2. 

"And they insulted the past commander of YoRHa!" shouted another patient.

"Is that so?" asked the android, she looked at the footage and it was true, "I'm afraid I have to ask you all to leave." said the android.

"But-"

"No, you caused trouble in here by trying to assault a veteran and insulted a war-hero who saved this world. Get out..."

"You'll all regret this!" shouted Mr. Beevnu, carrying his family out. "We'll sue everyone!"

"Let's run them out!" shouted one patient who wasn't feeling all that bad. Everyone ran after them, chasing them out.

"Thanks for that. I owe you." said A2 to the healer android.

"No it's fine. I owe you, way back in the war. You saved me in Avalon, and for that, I'm eternally grateful."

"No problem." as the healer android walked off, A2 looked back at Lage, "Sorry you had to see that, honey. You hungry?" asked she. Lage nodded slightly, "Then come on, let's go to Eden."

A2 and Lage now went to the car, this time with higher spirits. It was a short drive to Eden Cafe, A2 parked and took Lage inside. In there, Adam, Eve, Devola, and Popola were working. "Ah, A2, Lage. What brings you- Wait, Lage?" asked Eve. 

"Hi, Eve!" said Lage happily.

"Well, hey there, little guy!" responded Eve. He gave A2 a look and she nodded with a smile. Eve picked up Lage and let him sit on his shoulder and Lage laughed and giggled, "What're you doing outside of school?" he asked.

"He broke a kid's jaw." responded A2.

"Wait, what?" asked Popola, Devola, Eve, and Adam gave looks of shock as well.

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Adam.

"Yeah, kid had it coming. He insulted both me and Lars. Saying I wasn't Lage's real mom and saying how Lars probably abandoned him. Not to mention, he was slapped down to the ground."

"Wow, then he had it coming." said Devola, "Now, how about I get you seated?"

"Yeah sure, Lage, you can play with Eve later, alright?" said A2.

"Okay, mommy."

A2 and Lage were bought to a table, "Not busy yet?" asked A2.

"Not yet, usually our customers are high-schoolers, they get out around three or so. That's when this place gets packed." responded Devola as she set the tables, "Anything you guys want to drink?"

"Well, what do you want?" asked A2 to Lage.

"Boba milk tea, please!" said Lage.

"In that case, I'll have the same as him." said A2.

"Right then, two boba milk teas, coming right up." said Devola. "Anything to eat?"

"We'll just take the usual's, and two slices of apple pie."

"Do you have any homework tonight?" asked A2 to Lage.

"I only have my coloring to do, it's like this, there are numbers and they are also colors. So I have to color in the spot where the number is. Like one is red."

"Oh, I see. Then you should be able to do it." suddenly, it just hit A2. "Do you know what tomorrow is?" asked A2 to her son.

"What is it?"

"Come on, kiddo. Think, think really hard." 

Lage sat there, and he remembered it, "It's my birthday! Right?"

"Yep, that's right. Are you excited?" 

"Yeah! I'm turning five soon!"

"It's your birthday soon?" asked Popola as she bought over the drinks. "And tomorrow's a Saturday as well. We can set up a birthday party." she added.

"That was the plan." responded A2. "Here, let me get that for you." A2 helped Lage put his straw through the plastic top of his drink.

Later, they got their food and ate, talking about small things such as how school was going for Lage, and funny stories that happened to A2 whenever she did odd jobs for other people. Of course, they were appropriate, and eventually, they left. When they got home, 2B and 9S were still out, but A2 had noticed that the door had been opened, and the windows were even opened, along with the blinds. "Stay close..." said A2. She materialized her sword, something she hadn't had to do in years, and slowly opened the doors. 

She stepped inside, Lage by her side. Nothing was misplaced, almost as if they were home themselves. When A2 opened up the living room door, there sat White, in her civilian clothing. "Ah, A2, you weren't home, so I let myself in." she said.

"White."

"Grandma!" shouted Lage. He ran over to White, who picked him up easily. 

"Lage! You've gotten bigger." she chuckled, "What's this I hear about you breaking someone else's jaw?" she asked.

"Well, he said that mommy wasn't my real mom. And that dad didn't want me so he left me with mommy."

"Then he got what was coming to him." she said.

"That's what I said." responded A2. White handed Lage back to A2, and she set him down. "Go shower. Do you need my help?" 

"No, mommy. I'm a big boy." Lage proudly proclaimed. 

"Alright then, off you go." responded A2. "Let me make some tea." A2 went off and did just that. When she came back, she handed some to White, "So what brings you here?" asked she.

"Well, I was told to take a break once again. A few of the operators told me that they could handle it, and I decided why not. I also saw that it was Lage's birthday tomorrow and I thought I could come visit for the weekend." said White as she took a sip out of the tea. 

"I see, well, I'm planning to throw him a birthday party. If possible, I'd like him to see 2B and Nines again. Ever since they went on the Mars mission a year ago, they've called consistently, but Lage really misses Nines."

"Well, I believe you're in luck. Before I left, I got word that the Will-O'the-Wisp is returning to Earth today, that means 2B and 9S are coming back."

"Really? Great." 

The two women talked for a bit more until Lage came out, all cleaned and ready to do his work, "I'll be doing my work now." he said.

"Okay, call me if you need any help, okay?" called A2.

"I will."

"What a responsible child." remarked White.

"He's a clone of Lars alright, getting to skip a grade, and getting bullied. Although he also stands up for himself." replied A2, "And I love him for that. And I'll raise him to become a great man. Like Lars, but at the same time, a different person.

"Mommy! I need a bit of help, please. I just found that I have some social studies to do, and I don't know what." called Lage. 

"I better go."

"That's fine, go help him. I'll start on making the dough for the cake."

"Appreciate it." responded A2 as she walked off to help her son. White went over to the kitchen and looked at what she had to work with. She saw that she had all the ingredients and began. As she was making the powder of the dough, A2 was helping Lage. "So, when Robert E. Lee invaded the North for the second time, what happened?"

"The Union fought back." responded Lage.

"Well, yeah, but what was the battle known as?"

Lage looked at his book, "The Battle of Getty... Gettys..."

"Gettysburg." pronounced A2.

"Okay, The Battle of Gettysburg." he read a bit more, and he filled in his work-sheet. "Fifty thousand people died, but the Union won." he read.

"That's right. What else is The Battle of Gettysburg known as?" asked A2.

"The bloodiest battle?"

"Right again. You're really smart, Lage!" said A2 as she smiled and pet him on the head.

"Thanks, mommy. Can I go play outside?" asked he.

"Alright, just stay within the walls."

"Okay!" Lage ran off to get a few of his toys. He grabbed a few and went outside. Out there, he did many things, he managed to build a small castle with tiny sticks and pieces of trees that fell off and were just on the ground. Then he pretended to be a monster and destroyed it. Then he went back inside to grab as many legos as humanly possible. But Lage kept dropping them, so eventually, A2 helped him carry the chest. He quickly built a small city, and a plane. "Mommy, can you help me throw this into the city?" 

"Lage, aren't you ever going to do something that doesn't involve death and destruction?" asked A2, as she held the lego plane.

"No, because that's the beauty of destruction. People can rebuild, even after such bad things happen." responded Lage, he put on his safety goggles.

"Well, I guess you're right." smiled A2. "Ahhh! Captain! We're going down!" she shouted.

"Brace for impact!" shouted Lage back. And with minimal strength, A2 chucked the plane right into the city, absolutely annihilating both structures."That was awesome, mommy!"  

"Was it really?" asked A2.

"Yeah! It went..." Lage did hand motions to symbolize a plane crashing.

"But now, humans can rebuild. And that's what I'm gonna do!" Lage quickly collected all the pieces and quickly rebuilt the city again. He and A2 did this for quite a while, Lage building the city differently every time, until White made dinner and called them inside, it was also getting dark.

"Alright, c'mon Lage, time for dinner. Get all the pieces."

"Okay!" Lage ran around, and collected the pieces from the ground, after he was done putting the pieces back in the box, A2 helped him carry them inside. After they ate the dinner that White made, the four from Eden came back home.

"Oh, you four, come in." said White.

"Sure thing." said Adam, "Say, I have a story to tell today."

"Oh boy, I love stories!" nearly shouted Lage.

"Lage, no shouting in the house." replied A2.

"Sorry, mommy." responded Lage timidly.

"Now, what was it about a story?"

"Ah yes, it all began, only a short while ago. I'd say, an hour."

*Flashback*

Eve was cleaning tables, Devola and Popola were washing different plates and other things in the back,and there were hardly any patrons left, about three. As Adam was wiping down the counter, a drunken man walked in. He was clearly a man in his forties. He sat down and Adam said, "Sir, we're closing soon, so, I'd advise ordering any food."

"Bring me something with caffeine!" he nearly shouted, the three other patrons getting a bit startled. Eve shot an annoyed glare, then glanced at Adam. He shrugged and his brother shrugged as well,.

"Wait one moment, please." said Eve. He went over to the coffee machine and began pouring a cup for the man. Adam noticed that as he did, the man took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up before Adam could say anything. 

"Sir, I do not allow smoking in here, please leave immediately." 

"Uhh... Fuck off! I'll smoke where I want to!" shouted the man.

Adam quickly teleported from where he was standing to straight in front of the man. He put out the cigarette with his fingers and looked at the man with a smile. "I wan't asking..." he said. With a single, perfectly placed kick, he sent the old man straight out the door. "I'm so sorry about that." said Adam to the other customers, "But we are closing soon, please finish up, thank you."

*Back to Normal Time*

"After that, he just got up and stumbled back to wherever he came from." said Adam.

"Wow, Adam, that was cool!" exclaimed Lage.

"You sure showed that guy didn't you, Adam?" asked A2.

"Of course I do. I don't tolerate anyone who breaks  _my_ rules."

"Anyway, it's your birthday tomorrow, right Lage?" asked Eve.

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Am I getting a birthday party?" asked Lage.

"Well, of course." responded White, "But it's a secret on what it's going to be like."

"Will Auntie 2B and Uncle 9S be there?"

"Yep, you better believe it." said Devola.

"Look at the time." said A2, it was already ten-o'clock. "Alright Lage, time to brush your teeth and go to bed, tomorrow's a very special day."

"Okay, mommy." Lage did just that and went off. He brushed his teeth and quickly washed up, then went to bed. 

"Now, to plan and actually set it all up. It shouldn't rain tomorrow, so I think it could happen outside." said Popola.

"Let me check." Adam closed his eyes for a moment and opened them up again. "According to  _my_ forecast, it will not rain until Sunday, and tomorrow is Saturday."

"Great, then let's get started." They all grabbed materials moved outside and began to set up the party itself as they built, they heard two voices coming towards the gates. They all looked toward the spot where they voices were coming from, and waited. 

"You guys weren't seriously going to set up without us, were you?" asked the male.

"If it's Lage's birthday, then we wouldn't miss it for the world." said the female. 2B and 9S had come home.

"Glad you two could make it. Lage has really missed you, 2B, Nines." responded A2.

"Then I hope he'll be real glad to see us tomorrow."

"We also intercepted this on the way." 2B reached behind her and pulled out a letter. It was Nier's family, "They're out of the kingdom right now, so this is the best they could do." 

"Well, it's something. And it's one of those holographic letters as well." responded White, "I'm sure he'll be fine with it."

"Anyway, now that it's out of the way. What can we do to help?" asked 2B.

"Let me show you." said Adam, he walked them over to the station for the balloons. "If you could fill these up first, that'd be great, and after that, please help Devola and Popola with decorating the trees." 

"Will do."

*A While Later*

They finished up. They also knew that Zero would come in the morning. But right now, the sun hadn't risen yet. So they all just waited. A2 changed and decided that she would go for a walk, to go get Lage something, everyone else bought a gift. Lage wasn't a kid who wanted toys every year or anything like that, he was more interested in things that involved robotics or something he could build, though he was fine with toys. It wasn't raining, but it was for sure near-winter, it was quite cold.

A2 was wearing her bomber jacket and her tank top, along with her torn jeans and her leather heels. She walked around San Gabriel, looking at what to buy him. Eventually, she went to a store that sold practically everything. She looked around and saw that the store had a small box of tools that Lage would love. Sometimes, A2 would bring home some spare parts of machines from her odd jobs, and Lage always loved to make something out of those. 

"He'd love this." she said, she was about to pick up the box when she heard shouting. She turned her head over to see that there was a man robbing the store.

"EVERYTHING IN THE CASH REGISTER NOW!!! OR I'LL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF MAN!!" he shouted.

He apparently had an accomplice. The man carried a shot gun, whilst his accomplice carried an SMG. Judging from the other one's body shape, it was a female. She caught sight of A2 and pointed her gun, walking over. "Alright lady, I'm only gonna ask once, your wallet, and everything valuable you have."

A2 didn't say a word, she put the box down and put her hands up. "That's more like-" A2 dissapeared and reappeared behind her. She turned around, only to be kicked right in the face, the woman was sent flying through a shelf and was knocked out cold. The man turned around and tried to fire. A2 easily dodged and appeared behind him. She put him in a headlock, with her right hand grabbing her bicep, wrapped around his neck, and her left hand holding onto his head. She squeezed until he fainted.

"Sorry about your store." she said.

"No problem, you saved me. Whatever you were going to buy, it's on the house. Don't worry about the damage. Have a good night, ma'am. Thanks again."

"Oh, thank you." As the owner walked off to clean up the shelf and began tying the two up, A2 grabbed the small box of tools and left the money on the counter. Then, took her leave. A2 took the long way home, it didn't really matter. As she walked home, she saw that police with sirens on were heading towards the store she had just left from. She assumed that the owner had called the police. 

When A2 got back home, it was around four. The sun still hadn't risen, and everyone was still there, just waiting and conversing. "We got a call from Zero earlier, she's done with her photo-shoot and recording." said Adam.

"Great, so is she on her way over here?" asked A2.

"Yeah, she is." Now we wait, when are you going to wake Lage up?" 

"Around seven. I think nine hours of sleep is enough for him."

"Two more hours then." said 2B. They waited a bit more, and Zero appeared wit Mikhail when it was six. She still looked like her nineteen year old self.

"Hello, everyone." she looked at 2B and 9S, "Well, it's certainly been a while hasn't it?" she asked. Zero then looked at A2, "It's been a while since I've seen my nephew as well. Is he still sleeping?"

"Yes, just one more hour, then it'll be time."

So they all waited one last hour until it was finally time to wake Lage. "Babyyyyyy." sang A2, "It's time to wake up!" she said louder. Lage sat up and rubbed his eyes, "Happy birthday, sweetie." said A2.

"Thanks, mommy." Lage was dazed so A2 helped him go to the bathroom and wash up. When she took him outside, he was fully awake, and greeted by everyone singing him a happy birthday song. "Wow!" he nearly shouted. 9S and 2B both walked out of the crowd.

"Hey, bud! Long time no see!" said 9S happily. 

"How are you, Lage?" asked 2B, a smile on her face.

"Uncle Nines! Auntie 2B!" shouted Lage as he ran towards them.

They both gave him a hug at the same time and laughed. "Happy birthday!" shouted 9S, "I can't believe you're five years old now!"

"Same here, feels like so little time passed since we could carry you with our arms. You've grown a lot in five years." added 2B.

"Well, you two  _have_ been gone for a year. But that's fine, it was for the sake of humanity. Anyway, time for breakfast." said White. There was a hearty and healthy breakfast on the table. "Come, Lage, have some breakfast." they all went around and filled their plates. After that, Lage wanted to play a few party games. And that, they did. The day was spent playing party games, telling stories and all around just having a good time.

Eventually came the time for dinner, cake, and presents. They ate a delicious meal of hot pot and other hot foods. After that, it was the cake that White had made. It was enough for everyone, and they all sang happy birthday once more to Lage. After that, Lage opened his presents. He received a great many things, some pieces of tech, some new tools, and the box of tools that A2 had gotten him.

"Wow! Thank you so much, everyone! With this I can build a lot of stuff." shouted Lage.

"So, do you want to be a builder when you grow up?" asked Zero.

"Well, kinda. But at the same time, I want to be Minister when I grow up. So I can help make the world better like Grandma is right now."

"You flatter me, my child. Thank you." responded White.

After that ended, everyone started to go home. Or to their respective parts. White had to go back to the Command Center, and Zero also had to go back to her own house. It was eleven and A2 sent Lage off to bed. Just like that, his birthday party had ended, and he was five years old now. 

 

A2 sat down, reading a book in her chair. It was the one of Lars' favorite's. Written by the Brother's Grimm, the book held many stories. As A2 read, she heard movement in the other room and looked up from her book. She turned on the light and saw Lage standing there. "I thought you were asleep." she said.

"I can't sleep. I had a bad dream." he responded.

"Bad dream?" asked A2, she put the book down and opened up her arms, "What bad dreams, honey?" she asked as Lage walked over to her and was lifted to sit on her lap.

"Well, I saw Uncle Nines and Aunt 2B, and you. You were all fighting, your hair was long and they both wore things on their faces. I saw it through my eyes, and I was fighting Uncle Nines. You told me to kill Auntie 2B and she cut my arm off... I'm scared, mommy... Will that happen one day?" he asked.

"No. No it won't."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Because it already happened. That's in the past."

"What do you mean?"

"It wasn't you, Lage. It was your dad, Lars."

"Dad?" suddenly, curiosity peeked his mind, "What  _was_ dad like? I never got to meet him..."

"Well, he died before you were born. But he was the kindest, strongest, most noble, and courageous man I've ever known. And  _you_ are a spitting image of him. Your kindness, strength, nobility, and courage, it all came from him."

"He sounds really awesome. I wish I could've met him. But, somehow, I already know him. After all, I  _am_ him, right? I'm a clone, but I also have your looks, so he's my dad, and you are mommy for real." he said.

"That's right." A2 pinched him on the cheek. "I think it's time. I waited five years for this."

"For what, mommy?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Let me tell you a story of how I met your father..."

 

 

 

 

-End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so ends the tale of Lars. He will indeed cameo in another story, but you'll have to keep a sharp eye out. Keep in mind, that I will be making at least one more Nier story after this, but it is in development. Anyway, I hoped that you enjoyed Nier: Returner as a whole. This is only my second work, and I still have so many ideas, so I ask that you stay tuned. It is my hope that you will continue to read other works by me.  
> As always, thanks for reading my story.  
> Nier: Returner-Story of Lars, March 23rd 2019------->August 16th 2019


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